Tonight, the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs keeps rolling with a two-game slate to launch a couple more conference semifinal series into action. In the early window, the Washington Capitals take on the Carolina Hurricanes for Game 1 of what should be a fun battle between a couple of Metropolitan Division squads which know each other quite well.
On one hand, the Canes are favored to win this series with a deep roster and a heroic Sebastian Aho leading the charge. On the other side sit the Capitals, who look to make their first deep playoff run since their 2018 title run and allow aging superstar Alex Ovechkin to lift the Stanley Cup one last time in the twilight of his career.
Which side comes out on top to advance to the Eastern Conference Final? Here’s a detailed look at Capitals vs. Hurricanes, including a series prediction and top pick on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Capitals vs. Hurricanes series preview
Washington Capitals
The Capitals downed the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in the opening round, so after five first-round exits in the last six seasons, they’ve already exceeded expectations in a way. Breaking past the mental barrier of those early exits may energize Washington as they head into a series against a far superior opponent. Surely, they’ll need the extra pep in their step (or skates) against the Canes.
The boys in red, white, and blue didn’t have too much trouble in their first-round matchup. They scored 18 goals across five games for an average of 3.60 per contest and won by a multi-goal margin in three of their four victories. Winger Dylan Strome leads the squad with nine points (two goals, seven assists) while four skaters, including Ovechkin, averaged a point per game with five in the first round. They rank eighth among all playoff teams with 27.8 shots per game, a mark they’ll want to increase to keep up with a fast-paced Carolina attack.
On the defensive side, goalie Logan Thompson provides excellent play in net with a 2.23 GAA and .923 SV% through the opening round. His save percentage ranks second among all goalies to make multiple playoff starts, while his goals-against average falls third among all qualifiers. The Capitals only allowed more than two goals in one game during their opening-round series, but stopping the Hurricanes will be a greater challenge than they faced against the Canadiens.
Carolina Hurricanes
On the other side of the ice are the Hurricanes, who sit second from the top of DraftKings Sportsbook’s Stanley Cup Winner leaderboard at +475. The Canes handled the New Jersey Devils with relative ease in round one, but the Capitals are a healthier opponent with more talent at the top end.
The Hurricanes outscored their first-round matchup 19-11 over a five-game sample, scoring one more time and allowing one fewer goal than Washington did in their own five-game series. However, Carolina’s defense looks nearly impenetrable — goaltender Frederik Andersen missed Game 5 due to injury, but his .936 SV% and 1.59 GAA both rank first among all qualifying netminders this postseason. To top it off, Carolina’s penalty kill appears unkillable, having held their opponents scoreless through 15 chances and netted one shorthanded goal themselves.
While much has been made of the Hurricanes’ lack of top-end talent compared to other Stanley Cup hopefuls, Aho’s eight points through five games show he feels otherwise. The longtime Canes center is stepping up to carry the load, while Andrei Svechnikov ranks second on the team with six points followed by Seth Jarvis’ five. If Aho keeps producing like this, his presence should complement Carolina’s power-of-friendship attack perfectly.
Keys to the Series
Pace of play is the name of the game for the Hurricanes. Their 36.6 shots per game in this postseason show a determination to shoot early and often, and the team’s lethal forecheck might end up giving Washington some problems. This number may tick downward against a better defense, but Carolina still looks to push the tempo and won fourth-most games (35) during the regular season when outshooting their opponent. Washington has to slow their opponent’s attack down and dictate the pace in this one.
The goalie battle should be fascinating, as well. Thompson is playing superb hockey, but Andersen looks even better so far in these playoffs. If both netminders stay this hot, goals might end up hard to come by, even for two high-scoring offenses. If this is the case, watch for the aforementioned extra shots for Carolina to make up the difference and potentially swing this series in their favor. One thing to watch, however, is how Andersen looks after returning from the injury which sidelined him for Game 5 of the first round.
Washington’s power play needs to take the ice on their A-game from the jump in this series. As mentioned earlier, the Hurricanes didn’t allow a single power-play goal across their opening-round matchup — the Capitals ranked eighth in PP% during the regular season and ninth in the same stat category among all postseason teams. Washington’s special teams play must improve if they’d like to win this series, though. Their playoff PP% and PK% both rank second-worst among the eight teams remaining in the playoff field.
Capitals vs. Hurricanes series prediction, pick
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Hurricanes as -180 favorites to win this series, while the Capitals come in with +150 odds to pull off the upset. For an idea of how the game-to-game market looks ahead of their first clash, the Hurricanes are -142 favorites on the Moneyline in Game 1 of the series despite playing on the road. Notably, the home team won all four of these teams’ regular-season matchups, too.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook’s betting splits, the public actually appears divided where series winner markets are concerned. Roughly 56% of the total handle and 55% of bets placed are on Carolina to win the series, but the Capitals aren’t far behind at 44% and 45% in each category. These numbers show a bit of a toss-up on bettor preferences.
The Capitals have played a wonderful season of hockey and Ovechkin’s Gr8 Chase to the all-time goals record provided plenty of fun headlines. However, the Hurricanes play with speed Washington may not be able to match, which should wear the Capitals down over the course of the series. It’ll likely go six or seven games, but watch for the Canes to win in the end.
