Hurricanes vs Capitals Game 2 Picks, Predictions & Lines (May. 8)

• Washington hosts Carolina Thursday night at Capital One Arena trying to avoid going 2-0 down in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

• Carolina is a road favorite after a Game 1 overtime win. The home team has covered the puck line in each of the last seven meetings.

• Read on for my deep look at Game 2, including my prediction and tips on the best lines.

Suffocating Carolina (40-48 ATS) can take a big step forward in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a Game 2 win in Washington (50-38 ATS) Thursday night.

Teams that win Game 1 in a best-of-seven NHL playoff series take the series 68.1 percent of the time. Carolina has won three of five meetings with the Caps this year.

Will Carolina’s momentum carry over after Game 1, or does Washington have some tricks up their sleeve? I have insights on Thursday’s Game 2 betting line and prediction.

Hurricanes vs Capitals Game 2 Lines

Odds as of Thursday morning from FanDuel. Check out our FanDuel review and get set for a deep playoff run.

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Carolina is laying 1.5-goals on the puck line with the total at 5.5 at all the major sportsbooks. Three of the five meetings between Carolina and Washington have hit the under, including Game 1. Both teams are under .500 against the total. Carolina is 35-46-7 over/under while the Caps are 40-42-6.

Carolina has outscored Washington 16-12 this season. The best moneyline value I see is Bet365 with Carolina at -135 and Washington is +114 on the moneyline at FanDuel.

The Hurricanes are 6-0 in games after playing in overtime, but Washington is 21-12-3 as underdogs this season.

Hurricanes vs. Capitals Game 2 Picks

• Capitals +1.5 (+220 at FanDuel)

• Under 5.5 (-104 at FanDuel)

Washington goalie Logan Thompson made 31 saves in Game 1 and single-handedly kept the Capitals in the game. I am picking Washington at home on the puck line because I think Thompson will do it again and keep it close. Carolina controlled play in Game 1 and outshot the Caps 33-14 and outhit the Caps 44-31, but Washington led the until midway of the third period.

Carolina’s game plan is pressure, pressure, pressure. They don’t generate great shot opportunities, as much as they just want the puck in your zone. They averaged 31.7 shots a game.

Washington is the opposite. They don’t need to control the puck that much to score. They will look for the counterattack or a Carolina defensive mistake and try to pounce.

Hurricanes vs Capitals Game 2 Prediction

I predict Carolina will win the game, but not cover the puck line. We can’t ignore the dominance shown by the Hurricanes in the first game. Washington was held to three shots in the third period and had zero in the short overtime.

Carolina’s offense has been led by Sebastian Aho, who has eight points through six games, and I predict Carolina gets a couple of early goals, but then Washington gets a late one in the third to cover.

Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen had 13 saves in Game 1 and showed no ill effects from his injury in the first-round series (of course, no one has said what the injury was). Washington has been down in playoff series before and come back to win. In 2018, when they won the Stanley Cup, they trailed in three of their four series. So, all is not lost for Washington.