Washington Capitals will face Detroit Red Wings in the NHL action on Wednesday evening. The home side returns to Capital One Arena after recording a victory on the road and wants to keep up the pace. The visitors are about to play their third straight match away from home, and they want to end this series with a win.
Washington already lost two games on the home ice, and they want to improve the record in front of their crowd. The hosts are second in the Metropolitan Division, and they want to remain in the playoffs zone. On the other hand, Detroit played two matches on the road, with one win and defeat. The away side is third in the Atlantic Division, hoping to secure the playoffs spot at the end of the regular season.
Washington Capitals – Can they enter a winning run?
The Capitals go to this match after beating Ottawa Senators 7-5 away from home, and they are looking forward to another good display. Washington is at a 4-0-2 record, sitting behind the Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division. They have been pretty productive in the final third, averaging 4.33 goals per match. On the other hand, the Capitals have allowed 2.67 goals per game, and they have killed a bit over 70% of the opposition’s power-play.
T.J. Oshie scored three times in the victory against the Senators, while Alex Ovechkin scored a brace. Also, Connor McMichael added two assists in Washington’s winning effort. Ovechkin leads the Capitals offense with seven goals and 12 points, while Tom Wilson logged seven assists. Vitek Vanecek should be the starting goaltender, and he has conceded 2.05 goals per match on average, having a .920 save percentage. He made four appearances while Ilya Samsonov was standing between the pipes on three occasions.
Expected Line-Up: Vitek Vanecek, Martin Fehervary, John Carlson, Tom Wilson, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov
with best odds
Detroit Red Wings – Will they book another win on the road?
The Red Wings will complete this cycle of the road matches with the visit to Capital One Arena on Wednesday evening. Detroit is at a 3-2-1 record, and they want to challenge for a playoffs spot. The visitors have been successful in their latest match, as they beat Chicago Blackhawks 6-3. Lucas Raymond scored three times and made an assist in Detroit’s winning effort, while Dylan Larkin assisted three times. Tyler Bertuzzi was also very active in the final third, scoring a goal and logging a pair of assists.
Bertuzzi tops the team’s offensive stats as the best scorer with six goals and the most points as he collected nine. Dylan Larkin assisted five times, while Lucas Raymond scored four goals and made three final passes. On the other hand, Alex Nedeljkovic and Thomas Greiss split time between the pipes, conceding 3.50 goals per match on average. Nedeljkovic was the starter in the latest game for the Red Wings, and he had a .914 save percentage and 32 saves from 35 rival attempts.
Expected Line-Up: Alex Nedeljkovic, Moritz Seider, Danny DeKeyser, Lucas Raymond, Tyler Bertuzzi, Dylan Larkin
Expert Pick #1 – Washington Capitals to win in RT @-143
The Capitals are strong favorites in this clash, and I believe they will meet the expectations. Detroit should be tired from three straight trips, and the home side might take advantage of that. That’s why I’ll take Washington to win in the regular time as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Over 6 @-113
Both teams have been pretty productive in front of the oppositions’ goal so far, with Washington scoring over four goals per match, while the Red Wings have netted more than three per game on average. The previous two games of both sides went over a 6 margin, and this one shouldn’t be different. Therefore, I’m taking the Over as my second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Capitals -1.5 & Over 6.5 @+285
I’m going with longer odds for my third pick, dipping into the combo markets. If Washington wins by at least two goals in an efficient clash, we could get generous returns. I’ll back this tip with a smaller stake, hoping for the best.
