After a six-game road trip to see the sights on the Pacific Coast of the United States, the Carolina Hurricanes return to PNC Arena where the Washington Capitals are coming to town. A quick one-off game before the team heads on the road again. We get a matinee to start for the Canes and Caps to renew their rivalries for the first time in the new COVID-19 affected world.
Carolina is coming into this game off the back of a big win over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center in Pennsylvania. Washington is coming into this game off of a big win at home over the Washington Capitals on Friday, as both teams bounced back from recent defeats at the hands of the Seattle Kraken. This is a game that is absolutely mouthwatering on paper.
This is a clash between two Metropolitan Division giants as the winner will not only pull clear at the top of the division but will conclude the day top of the NHL standings as the Florida Panthers lost to the Seattle Kraken last night. The winner will be hailed as the best team in hockey, the loser will have a lot of ground to make up. This is going to be a great game and an important game.
Even in November, this could be a game that decides playoff seeding. It could be a game that determines who gets home ice if these two meet in the playoffs. It could change the course of each team’s season. This is a monumental game for the Canes, and after they lost two in a row to conclude the western road trip, they need a win at home here to continue to build their gap from the playoff line.