Quite possibly the two strongest clubs in the National Hockey League, the Boston Bruins and the Washington Capitals clash at Capital One Arena. This Eastern Conference matchup gets started at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 11 and it can be viewed live on NBC Sports Network.
Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals Odds
Boston (-105) is currently the underdog to Washington (-115) and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The odds for betting that total stand at -120 over, +100 under.
Earning 7.0 units for moneyline bettors, the Capitals are 22-10 straight up (SU) overall this year. That winning percentage, second-best in the league so far in this young season, is an improvement compared to what the team managed during last year’s regular season (48-34). Of its 32 games this season, 21 have gone over the total, while 11 have gone under and none have pushed. The team’s 8-7 SU at home this year.
Washington has converted on 23.7 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s good enough for sixth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked sixth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 84.7 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, Washington has been penalized 4.1 times per game overall this season, and 4.8 per game over its last five at home. The team’s had to kill penalties for 12.6 minutes per game over its last five home outings.
Sporting a .909 save percentage and 27.9 saves per game, Braden Holtby (15 wins, eight losses, and four OT losses) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Capitals this season. If head coach Todd Reirden chooses to give him the evening off, however, the team could turn to Ilya Samsonov (7-3-3 record, .917 save percentage, 2.42 goals against average).
John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin will both lead the charge for the Capitals. Carlson (43 points) has tallied 11 goals and 32 assists and has recorded two or more points in 13 different games this year. Ovechkin has 21 goals and 12 assists to his credit and has recorded at least one point in 19 contests.
On the other hand, Boston is 20-11 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 2.9 units this season. Through 31 regular season contests, 15 of its games have gone over the total, while 14 have gone under the total and just two have pushed. As the visiting team this season, Boston is 8-5 SU.
Boston has scored on 28.0 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s good enough for fourth-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked fifth overall and it’s successfully killed off 85.1 percent of all penalties.
Boston’s skaters have been called for penalties 3.7 times per game this season, and 2.4 per game over their last five on the road. The team has had to kill penalties just 8.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Tuukka Rask (2.19 goals against average and .927 save percentage) has been the main option in goal for Boston. Rask is averaging 28.2 saves per game and owns a 13-6-3 record.
For the visiting Bruins, the offense will be facilitated by Brad Marchand (18 goals, 28 assists) and David Pastrnak (25 goals, 20 assists).
Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Bruins, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- For both of these teams, the over has hit in three of their last five matchups.
- Boston has attempted 31.4 shots per game overall this season (ranked 15th in the NHL), and 29.4 in its last five road games.
- Power-play chances could prove to be key tonight. The Bruins are 4-6 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 12-8 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Capitals are 7-3 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 12-5 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Boston is 0-4 in games decided by a shootout this season while Washington is 3-2 in shootouts.
- Washington skaters have created 8.2 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a slight drop from its season average of 7.6 takeaways per game (ranked 14th in the NHL).
- Boston has scored 3.5 goals per game as a team this season, but has been averaging 2.0 goals per contest over its last three games (0-3 SU over that span).
- Boston has created 6.6 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 8.2 takeaways per game (ranked 12th in the NHL).
