Washington Capitals vs Carolina Hurricanes Prediction, 10/2/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Washington Capitals vs Carolina Hurricanes

Date: Friday, October 2, 2026

Location: Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC

TV: Monumental Sports Network, Hurricanes Hockey Network

Odds/Point Spread: Capitals (+125) Hurricanes (-140)

Lenovo Center is the location where the Carolina Hurricanes (53-22-7 last year) will try to beat the Washington Capitals (43-30-9 last season) on Friday. The moneyline on this game has the Capitals at +125 and the Hurricanes are priced at -140. The over/under is set at 6.5.

The Washington Capitals went home feeling good about their game by earning a 2-1 victory over the Blue Jackets their last time out. The Capitals could have played much better offensively in the victory. For the outing, they converted 2 of the 21 shots they put on net. Moreover, they had 3 attempts on the power play and were able to notch 1 goal. Washington recorded 2 penalty mins in this outing.

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When discussing scoring goals, the Washington Capitals accounted for 261 goals (15th in the NHL) over the course of last year surrendered 238. For last year, they racked up 95 points and their points percentage was .579. Washington finished with 241 power play chances and notched 43 goals out of those tries, garnering them a rate of 17.84%. While playing at even strength, the Capitals let the opposition score 188 goals while earning 218. Washington attempted 2,299 shots and held a shot percentage of 11.4%. The Capitals had 2,307 shots tried against them and were the owners of a save percentage of .897. Washington Capitals opponents had 252 power play opportunities (5th in the league) and notched 50 goals in those attempts.

The player guarding the cage in this matchup is Logan Thompson. Thompson has been involved in 204 contests throughout his hockey career. He has amassed a record of 118-59-23 and he has gotten the start in 195 games. Opponents have notched 509 goals versus Thompson in his pro hockey career and his goals against average is 2.61. Thompson has seen 5,761 shot attempts against him and has accrued 5,252 saves. His save percentage currently is .912 for his 7,882 minutes played. In his career, Thompson has recorded 121 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .621.

Their last time out, Carolina squared up with the Panthers in a game where the Hurricanes ended up taking the loss by a final of 1-0. They had 6 power play chances in this game but didn't put one in the back of the net. The Hurricanes notched 0 goals out of the 15 shots on goal they took.

The Hurricanes tallied 231 goals at even strength and 60 goals (5th in the league) while having more men on the ice. Carolina took 2,637 shots (2nd in hockey) and had a shot percentage of 11.04%, while allowing their opponent 1,961 shots. Last season, the Carolina Hurricanes accumulated 291 goals, 113 points, in addition to a points percentage of .689. They permitted 236 goals to be scored by of a combination of 191 goals at even strength and 45 goals while they were shorthanded. They earned 241 chances on the power play and they have a power play percentage of 24.90%. They had a penalty kill percentage of 80.52% on the other team's 231 power play chances, and their save percentage came in at 88.0%.

For the opposition you are likely to see Pyotr Kochetkov in net. He has a tally of 2,785 saves out of the 3,080 shots attempted, giving him a save % of .904. Kochetkov is the owner of a lifetime mark of 71-38-12 and has participated in 125 contests. He has started in 120 games and his ice time sits at 6,168 minutes. Kochetkov's percentage of quality starts sits at 54.2% and he has made 65 quality starting assignments in his pro career. The opposition is averaging 2.46 goals per game and he has surrendered 295 goals altogether.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy's Pick: Take Carolina (-140)

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