Capitals vs. Hurricanes: Pregame Report as Washington Travels to Face Carolina

Friday night in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes will host the Southeast Division rival Washington Capitals. The two teams will meet for the second time this week. The matchup is interesting in that Washington will aim to solidify their place atop the Southeast while Carolina will hope to pull themselves out of last in the division.

The Capitals, who are in the middle of a three-game road trip, look to keep the momentum rolling heading into their high-profile game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday afternoon. A decisive win over the Hurricanes would be important for continuing the forward momentum following their 3-0 victory over Montreal, but also in forgetting the 3-0 defeat they suffered at the hands of the New York Islanders.

The Capitals have had a rather rough week. While they have been outshot in the majority of their games under Dale Hunter’s coaching, the Caps were simply outplayed by the Islanders.

Against the Montreal Canadiens, the Caps played a much more well-rounded game. While they were still outshot 31-16, Mathieu Perreault and Marcus Johansson were able to find the back of the net, giving the Capitals a two-goal lead by the end of the first period. Captain Alex Ovechkin also scored on the power play, which was his 19^th goal of the season.

It seems that one of the Caps’ biggest problems coming out of their game Wednesday is discipline. The Caps managed to take seven penalties, four of which were in the third period. Still, they managed to hold the Habs scoreless.

On the other hand, the Hurricanes are looking to recover from their two-game losing streak. After defeating the Eastern powerhouse Boston Bruins 4-2 last week, the Hurricanes have lost two close games against the Capitals and Penguins, respectively.

While the Hurricanes' record doesn’t show it, they do have a tremendous capacity for outplaying teams. They have made a habit of not giving the puck away too often, as well as recording a handful of takeaways every game. Being that careful with the puck could make all the difference on Friday.

Unless the Capitals make a more conscious effort to take the puck to the net, the Hurricanes may very well defeat them. The biggest thing that works against the Caps on a regular basis is how badly they’re outshot. If the Hurricanes can capitalize on this like they did on Sunday (outshooting the Caps 44-24), it wouldn’t be surprising to see them score much more than their 2.6 goals-per-game average.

Michal Neuvirth may very well be Washington’s starting goaltender on Friday. Making 31 saves, Neuvirth recorded his second shutout of the season against Montreal on Wednesday. Starting Tomas Vokoun would also be a solid choice, seeing as he saved 43 of 44 shots when Carolina and Washington last met.

Cam Ward seems to be the most likely candidate to start for Carolina. His 3.01 GAA and .905 save percentage don’t quite do his goaltending talent justice. In the recent meeting between Carolina and Washington, Ward saved 22 of 24 shots. In one of his most impressive starts of the season, Ward saved 40 of Pittsburgh’s 41 shots in 65 minutes of game time, only to lose in a shootout.

When the puck drops on Friday, the Capitals will look to build some more momentum towards their game against the Penguins. Unless they can overcome the inconsistency in their play that has especially plagued them this week, beating the Hurricanes will be a lofty task. Conversely, expect the Hurricanes play a tight game, capitalizing on any Washington shortcomings.