TD Garden is playing host an Eastern Conference matchup as the Boston Bruins welcome the visiting Washington Capitals. The opening face-off takes place at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 4, and you can watch the game live on NBC Sports Washington.
Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins Odds
Boston (-115) is currently favored over Washington (-105) and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Though the team is 6-7 straight up (SU) this season, Washington has actually earned -2.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. Through 13 regular season matches, nine of its games have gone over the total, while four have gone under and none have pushed. The Caps are 4-4 SU as the road team in 2017-18.
Washington has found the net on 19.5 percent of its power play opportunities thus far. That’s a fairly big drop-off from last year, when it was ranked second in the NHL by converting on 23.3 percent of its extra-man opportunities. Its penalty kill has fallen off drastically year-over-year, as the team’s gone from successfully defending 84.0 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked sixth overall last year) to 74.5 percent this year.
Washington, as a collective unit, has been penalized 5.1 times per game this season. Last year, that number was the mark in the league at 4.1 penalties per game. After serving an average of 9.3 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays for a taxing 12.7 minutes per matchup this year.
Boasting a .919 save percentage and 30.2 saves per game, Braden Holtby (6-3) has been the top option in goal for Washington this season. If it decides to rest him, however, Washington could turn to Philipp Grubauer (0-5-1), who has a .876 save percentage and 4.08 goals against average this year.
Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin will both lead the way for the visiting Capitals. Kuznetsov has 15 points on three goals and 12 assists, and has recorded multiple points in four different games. Ovechkin has 10 goals and five assists to his name (and has logged a point in seven games).
Over on the other bench, Boston is 5-6 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. Six of its matches have gone over the total, while five have gone under and none have pushed. The team is 4-3 SU at home thus far.
Boston has converted on 28.2 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that places it in the top-5 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fourth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 86.4 percent of all opponent power plays.
Boston players have been sent to the penalty box 5.1 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 4.2, the sixth-highest mark in the league. After serving an average of 10.1 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has been forced to kill penalties for a taxing 13.5 minutes per contest this year.
Tuukka Rask has stopped 25.0 shots per game as the primary selection in goal for Boston. Rask has two wins, five losses, and two overtime losses and has maintained a subpar .907 save percentage and 2.64 goals against average this year.
Brad Marchand (eight goals, five assists) will lead the attack for Beantown.
Washington Capitals vs. Boston Bruins Betting Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Capitals, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The under has hit in three of Boston’s last five outings.
- After averaging the ninth-most shots in the league last season (30.9 per game), Washington has attempted 28.5 shots per contest overall this season, and 30.6 in its last five road games.
- The Bruins are 3-3 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Capitals are 3-5 SU in games where they serve more minutes than their opponent.
