183 - Number of regular-season games between the Capitals and Hurricanes/Whalers in their collective history heading into tonight’s game, the fourth-most games against one opponent for the ‘Canes/Whalers (behind only Buffalo with 210 GP, and Montreal and Boston with 209 apiece). The Caps have a significant edge in overall results in those games, with a record of 103-56-24 in head-to-head matchups - although of course, the Hurricanes have won their one and only playoff meeting.
A big part of that hefty game total is a longtime division co-residency by the two teams; in fact, they’ve been division rivals for 23 of the last 24 seasons, dating back to Carolina’s addition to the Southeast Division back in 1998.