By Bart Lopez

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Thanksgiving is generally considered the point in the season when teams finally have a solid grasp on their identity and know whether or not they are playoff material. Two teams, the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes, got to Thanksgiving and didn’t like what they saw. Both teams fired their coaches today.

The Capitals have struggled since a hot 7-0-0 start, going 5-9-1 in its last 15 games. The Caps lost this weekend to the New York Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres, which ended up being the last straws for the higher-ups. The Capitals fired coach Bruce Boudreau, who helped make Washington perennial contenders after his hiring in November 2007. Boudreau instituted a stricter system this year, with his job on the line, and failed to get results, which is most noticeable in the slumping Alex Ovechkin. Former team captain Dale Hunter will replace Boudreau.

The last place Carolina Hurricanes also fired their head coach Paul Maurice today. This was the second time he has been fired by the Canes in the past decade. Maurice will be replaced by Kirk Muller.

There are four games tonight, one of which has multiple four star picks. My pick is for San Jose over Los Angeles. The hot trends are too good to ignore.

San Jose Sharks at Los Angeles Kings: Sharks win (-109)
1. AccuScore’s money line record in San Jose games: 8-1, 88.9%
2. AccuScore’s side value record in San Jose games: 8-1, 88.9%.
3. AccuScore’s side value record in Los Angeles games: 8-5, 61.5%.

Visit NHL Expert Picks to see AccuScore's expert picks for all of tonight's games.