Carolina Hurricanes vs Washington Capitals: Game 5 preview, prediction, and odds | Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2, May 15, 2025

The Carolina Hurricanes are on the road to play the Washington Capitals in Game 5 of the second round on Thursday, May 15 at 7 p.m. ET.

Carolina is up 3-1 in the series after winning Game 4 5-2.

Hurricanes vs Capitals: Head-to-head & key stats

Carolina went 2-1-1 against Washington this season, and is now 3-1 in the playoffs
The Hurricanes averaged 3.2 goals per game
Washington went 26-9-6 at home
Carolina allowed 2.8 goals per game
The Capitals averaged 3.49 goals per game
The Hurricanes 16-21-4 on the road
Washington allowed 2.79 goals per game

Carolina Hurricanes vs Washington Capitals: Preview

Carolina has total control of the series as the Hurricanes are up 3-1 in the series. The Hurricanes in Game 4 were led by Taylor Hall and Sean Walker, who both had a goal and an assist, while Shayne Gostisbehere and Seth Jarvis also scored.

The Hurricanes will start Frederik Andersen, who went 13-8-1 with a 2.50 GAA and a .899 SV%. In his career against Washington, he's 10-4-3 with a 2.58 GAA and a .912 SV%. In the playoffs, he's 6-2 with a 1.41 GAA and a .935 SV%.

Washington, meanwhile, has been struggling to score against Carolina who plays a solid defensive game. In Game 4, the Capitals were led by Jakob Chychrun who had a goal and an assist while Alexander Ovechkin also scored.

The Capitals will remain with Logan Thompson in net, who went 31-6-6 with a 2.49 GAA and a .910 SV%. In his career against Carolina, he's 0-2 with an 8.34 GAA and a .780 SV%. In the playoffs, he's 5-4 with a 2.45 GAA and a .918 SV%.

Hurricanes vs Capitals: Odds & Prediction

Carolina is a -175 favorite while Washington is a +145 underdog, with the over/under set at 5.5 goals.

The Capitals haven't been playing well in this series as Carolina has done a good job playing defense and shutting down their top players.

The Hurricanes are a tough team to play against due to how they play defense. Look for Carolina to once again limit the Capitals' offense as the Hurricanes get the road win to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals in five games.

Prediction: Hurricanes 3, Capitals 1.

Hurricanes vs Capitals: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Carolina ML (-175)

Tip 2: Under 5.5 goals (-120)

Tip 3: Under 1.5 goals first period (-120)

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Cole Shelton