Hurricanes are in Washington to close out season series with the Capitals

Coming off the back of a 7-2 demolition job of the St Louis Blues in St Louis, Carolina make the trip to the United States capital and take on the Washington Capitals. Washington has won the three previous meetings and is looking to sweep the season series as the Hurricanes are embarking on their first half of a big back-to-back. This is a cannot-miss game for hockey fans, and this blossoming rivalry will be on display once more.

Tonight, the Carolina Hurricanes will not be at full strength as the team will be without Ethan Bear due to a lower-body injury. We’re expecting Brendan Smith to slot onto the third pairing in place of Bear. Smith had a very physical game when these two teams last met during the 4-3 Washington shootout victory in Raleigh around a week ago. Smith will be looking to help the team correct that result.

There’s a current nine-point game between these two teams in the NHL Standings. Washington sits as the second wild card and Carolina leads the Metropolitan division. After seeing the Pittsburgh Penguins put up 11 goals in Detroit last night, Carolina needs to get two points to ensure that they stay at the top of the Metropolitan Division and ensure home ice in the first round.

Washington comes into this game white-hot, being 7-2-1 in their last 10 including besting the Hurricanes last week. Carolina has struggled as of late and is looking to get back on the path to victory against the long-time division rival in the nation’s capital. Carolina will go toe to toe with veteran Washington Capitals to see if the team has what it takes to beat the rigidity of the Capitals lineup. This is a game that you do not want to miss if you love hockey.

Question for Cardiac Cane readers: What do you think the score will be?