Considered by many to be the two strongest clubs in the NHL, the New York Islanders and the Washington Capitals take the ice at Capital One Arena. The game gets underway at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 31, and you can see this Metro Division matchup live on NBC Sports Washington.
New York Islanders vs. Washington Capitals Odds
Netting moneyline bettors 8.6 units, the Capitals are 27-13 straight up (SU) overall thus far. That win percentage, the league’s best so far in the early season, is an improvement compared to what the team managed during the 2018-19 season (48-34). Of the team’s 40 games this season, 25 have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and none have pushed. The team’s 11-7 SU at home this year.
Washington has converted on 21.6 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fourth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 84.7 percent of all penalties.
Washington, as a collective unit, has been penalized 4.3 times per game overall this season, and 5.6 per game over its last five outings home outings. The team’s had to kill penalties for a whopping 14.6 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, overall.
Boasting a .904 save percentage and 26.6 saves per game, Braden Holtby (17-11-4) has been the top option in goal for the Capitals this year. If they choose to give him a breather, however, Washington could go with Ilya Samsonov (10-4-4 record, .918 save percentage, 2.28 goals against average).
The Caps will continue to lean on the offensive production from John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin. Carlson (50 points) has tallied 13 goals and 37 assists and has recorded two or more points in 15 different games this year. Ovechkin has 24 goals and 14 assists to his name and has notched at least one point in 23 contests.
New York has earned moneyline bettors 8.0 units this season and is currently 24-13 straight up (SU). Through 37 regular season outings, 20 of its games have gone under the total, while 14 have gone over and just two have pushed. As an away team, New York is 11-7 SU so far.
New York has converted on 20.5 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 17th overall and it’s successfully killed off 80.2 percent of all opponent power plays.
New York’s players have been penalized 3.5 times per game this season, and 4.8 per game over their last five road outings. The team’s had to kill penalties 13.4 minutes per contest over their last five road games.
Semyon Varlamov (24.9 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for New York. Varlamov has 14 wins, nine losses, and three OT losses to his credit, while registering a .920 save percentage and 2.40 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive attack for the visiting Islanders will be Mathew Barzal (16 goals, 17 assists) and Brock Nelson (13 goals, 16 assists).
New York Islanders at Washington Capitals Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Capitals, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- New York has managed 28.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Washington is averaging 34.0 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Extra-man opportunities could play a key role in this one. The Islanders are 3-3 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 15-9 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Capitals are 8-5 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 12-6 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- New York is 3-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Washington is 3-2 in shootouts.
- Washington has averaged 10.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 7.7 takeaways per game (ranked 14th in the league).
- New York is ranked 18th in the league this season with 7.5 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward lately, as the team has averaged 8.3 takeaways over its last 10 games and 10.4 takeaways over its last five.
