Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and the Washington Capitals will do battle against Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, and the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena for an Eastern Conference showdown. This one gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 30 and it is being televised live on NBC Sports Washington.
Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Odds
Washington (+165) is playing the role of underdog to Tampa Bay (-190), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals (-125 for the under, +105 for the over).
Tampa Bay is 59-18 straight up (SU) and has netted 29.9 units for moneyline bettors this season. That winning percentage, the NHL’s best so far in the early season, is a solid improvement compared to how the team performed during last year’s regular season (54-28). Of its 77 games this season, 41 have gone over the total, while 33 have gone under and just three have pushed. The team’s 32-8 SU at home this season.
The Lightning currently have the second-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as they have converted on 28.6 percent of their extra-man advantages this year. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated third overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 85.3 percent of all penalties.
Boasting a .927 save percentage and 30.1 saves per game, Andrei Vasilevskiy (37-13-4) has been the primary option in goal for the Bolts this year. If Tampa Bay chooses to give him a breather, however, head coach Jon Cooper might roll with Louis Domingue (21-5-5 record, .908 save percentage, 2.88 goals against average).
On the other side of the ice, Washington is 46-32 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 6.3 units this year. Through 78 regular season outings, 39 of its games have gone over the total, while 36 have gone under the total and just three have pushed. As an away team, the Capitals are 23-16 SU.
The Capitals have converted on 20.8 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 24th overall and it’s successfully killed off 79.1 percent of all opponent power plays.
Braden Holtby (.910 save percentage and 2.85 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Washington. Holtby is averaging 27.7 saves per game and owns a 30-27-7 record.
Washington Capitals at Tampa Bay Lightning Free Picks
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Lightning, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- Over Tampa Bay’s last ten outings, five of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 4-1 in those games).
- Power plays and penalty kills could play a key role in this matchup. The Capitals are 18-8 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 31-17 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Lightning are 18-10 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 29-16 when total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Tampa Bay is 6-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Washington is 4-1 in shootouts.
- For both of these teams, the game went over the total in four of their last five matchups.
- Washington skaters have averaged 6.8 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 11.7 giveaways per game (ranked 23rd in the NHL).
- Tampa Bay is ranked 6th this season with 8.4 giveaways per game. That figure has improved lately, however, as it’s averaged 7.6 giveaways over its last 10 games and 6.0 giveaways over its last five.
- The Lightning this season have recorded the sixth-most hits in the NHL (25.4 per game), but that average has risen to 28.8 over their last five home games.
