We're at that stage of the season where the NHL goes outdoors for the Stadium Series game, which will see the Carolina Hurricanes take on the Washington Capitals in this year's edition.
After initially being supposed to hold the Stadium Series game in 2021, only for COVID-19 to halt the season, Carolina finally gets it's wish in this game between two Metropolitan teams in the Eastern conference.
We'll take a look at the two teams and break down the game while giving you our best free NHL picks for the game to try and earn you some extra cash while you watch a great game of ice hockey.
Learn more about how to bet on NHL here.
NHL Stadium Series information
- Saturday, February 18th, 2023
- Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, North Carolina
- Live on ABC
- 20:00 ET
Carolina Hurricanes season so far
The Hurricanes have had a fantastic 2022/23 season so far, with a record at the time of writing of 36-10-8 heading into this game.
The season started back in October with a solid 6-2-1 run, which included a three-game winning streak to open the campaign against the Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks and Seattle Kraken by a combined score of 11-3. That run was ended by the Edmonton Oilers as they fell 6-4 on the road.
November was less successful, going 6-4-4 for the month. That included a run of just two wins in ten games, as they went to overtime in three successive games against the Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets, losing each time. They ended the month with two consecutive wins against the Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins, before a spectacular December.
Including those two wins, they went on an incredible run of 15 wins in their next 16 games. The only game they didn't win was an overtime defeat to the Anaheim Ducks on December 6th, which then kickstarted an 11-game winning streak that took them through to January.
January started with a four game winless streak, losing to New York Rangers, Nashville Predators and New Jersey Devils while the Blue Jackets took them to overtime too. They bounced back with another winning run after that stint though, winning nine of their next ten games before defeat to the Rangers on February 11.
Washington Capitals season so far
The Capitals haven't had the best of seasons so far, with a record of 28-23-6 heading into this game.
The season opened with two defeats to the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs, before wins over the Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks in their next two games helped them end the month 5-4-1.
November was awful as they went 5-7-2, with a run of just two victories in their first ten games of the month including two shootout defeats to the Vegas Golden Knights and St Louis Blues. They ended the month with three wins from their final four games, and took that good form into December.
The Christmas month saw them go 11-2-2, with two five-game winning streaks separated only by a 1-2 defeat to the Dallas Stars. January was poor again as they went 6-7-1, failing to win back-to-back games throughout the month.
"The energy is just totally different - the elements are different, the lights are different."@stromer19 gets the anticipation rolling for Saturday's outdoor game in Raleigh and shares his memories of playing hockey outside both as a kid and a pro.#StadiumSeries | #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/0gfgfVuyv2
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 13, 2023
NHL picks: Stats and trends
In six of the last nine away games that the Washington Capitals have competed in, they have been able to cover the moneyline bet, which bodes well here. They have however failed to hit the moneyline in eight of their last 20 games, while Carolina have covered the moneyline bet in 10 of their last 13 home games.
When it comes to the totals it's been a bit of a mixed bag. The Capitals have not covered the total over in four of their last ten games, while the same can be said for the under in their games too.
The Hurricanes alternatively have failed to cover the total under in five of their last ten games, while also failing to hit the total over in five of the last ten games too.
Alex Ovechkin remains one of the very best players in the NHL and he has landed the Assists under bet in eight of his last ten appearances (excluding the All-Star game), which makes that a tasty bet too.
Defeat to the Hurricanes on Tuesday night will make them want revenge in this game too, so they can't be entirely ruled out.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
NHL Picks: Back Carolina on the moneyline
It's not often that NHL games get a stadium roaring on two teams, but this is historic as it is the first time ever that Carolina will be involved in an outdoor game.
Having had to wait an extra two years for the privilege, the fans will be raucous and the team will be determined to ensure their opposition can't exact their revenge for the midweek defeat to the same opposition at home.
Top scorer Sebastian Aho and top assister Brent Burns have been in great form recently and they'll want to ensure they can stay at the top of the divisional standings with a victory, so back them on the moneyline in a straight forward win for the home team in front of a huge crowd.
Check out our review for BetUS sports betting here.
