Hurricanes @ Capitals

Who will WIN this matchup?

Carolina Hurricanes (15-15-5)

@ Washington Capitals (22-10-3)

Starting Goalies:

Petr Mrazek (CAR): Likely

Braden Holtby (WSH): Likely

Current odds:

Carolina Hurricanes: (+140)

Washington Capitals: (-160)

• The Carolina Hurricanes hope to match the performance they delivered in green uniforms last time out as they return to their normal colors Thursday night with a matchup against the first-place Washington Capitals to start a two-game trip. The Hurricanes wore throwback Hartford Whalers sweaters to honor the franchise’s past Sunday when they knocked off Boston 5-3, after losing five of their previous six contests (1-4-1). Carolina scored four straight goals to wipe out an early 2-0 deficit Sunday, but coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters he liked his team’s performance throughout: “You could see from the start they were engaged, even when we got down, and it was nice to see. The level of engagement, really for 60 minutes, it was there.” The Hurricanes coughed up a three-goal lead and fell 6-5 in a shootout at home Dec. 14 against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Capitals, who are in the midst of a 7-1-0 run.

• Washington won its last two games before the Christmas break while allowing one goal combined, including a 4-0 shutout at Ottawa on Saturday in the second of a back-to-back. “They were in the same situation, but we played well, I think,” Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen told reporters of the consecutive games. “We came out with a real good purpose and a detailed and determined effort. It was a pretty good all around game.”

• Leading scorers Sebastian Aho (38 points) and Teuvo Teravainen (29) each had two goals and two assists Sunday while defenseman Justin Faulk scored for the first time since Oct. 22. But Carolina will have to get more consistency out of its power play, which is 0-of-14 over the last four games, and an offense that sits 28th in the league at 2.54 per game. Veteran Curtis McElhinney is back healthy after missing more than two weeks, but has lost three in a row, and fellow goalie Petr Mrazek is 2-1-0 in his last three games – allowing six total goals.

• Washington hasn’t gotten big contributions from its top scorers the past few games and the power play is 0-of-16 the last four contests, but it continues to find ways to win. Captain Alex Ovechkin managed one point (assist) in the last three games after a stretch in which he posted 10 goals in six contests, while defenseman John Carlson is mired in a four-game point drought. Ovechkin leads the team in goals (29) and points (44) while center Nicklas Backstrom has 41 points – eight assists in the past eight games – and Evgeny Kuznetsov boasts 11 points in 11 contests.

• Washington G Braden Holtby is 4-1-0 with a .937 save percentage over his last five appearances.

• Carolina LW Micheal Ferland (11 goals) snapped a six-game point drought with an assist against Boston.

• Kuznetsov is three points from 300 for his career and Capitals RW T.J. Oshie needs three goals for 200.