TD Garden will be the site for an Eastern Conference matchup as the Washington Capitals travel to Beantown to take on the Boston Bruins. The match will get started at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 14, and fans at home can see it live on Sportsnet 360.
Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins Odds
Boston (-130) is currently the favorite over Washington (+110), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under).
Washington is 19-13 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 4.0 units this season. Through 32 regular season outings, 18 of its games have gone over the total, while 14 have gone under and none have pushed. As an away team this season, the Caps are 6-8 SU.
Washington has converted on 20.6 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s good enough for eighth-best in the NHL. Its penalty kill is ranked 17th out of 31 teams, and it has successfully killed off 80.7 percent of all penalties.
Washington, as a collective unit, has been called for penalties 4.4 times per game this season, and 3.3 per game over its last ten. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 7.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 28.0 saves per game with a .918 save percentage, Braden Holtby (17-7) has been the best option in goal for Washington this season. If head coach Barry Trotz chooses to rest him, however, the team may turn to Philipp Grubauer (2-9-1 record, .899 save percentage, 3.01 goals against average).
Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Capitals. Kuznetsov (34 points) is up to 10 goals and 24 assists, and has recorded multiple points in eight different games. Ovechkin has 21 goals and 12 assists to his name (and has notched at least one point in 19 games).
Boston is 15-13 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 28 regular season matches, 14 of its games have gone under the total, while 13 have gone over and none have pushed. It’s 9-6 SU as the home team this season.
Boston has converted on 19.1 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 85.1 percent of all penalties.
Boston players have been called for penalties 4.1 times per game in total this season, and 3.0 per game over their last five at home. The teams had to stave off opponent power plays a whopping 13.6 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Tuukka Rask has denied 24.5 shots per game as the top choice in goal for Boston. Rask has eight wins, 11 losses, and two overtime losses to his credit and has recorded a .914 save percentage and 2.41 goals against average this year.
The Bruins offense will be led by David Pastrnak (15 goals, 13 assists).
Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Capitals, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- Washington is 2-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while Boston is 1-1 in shootouts.
- The total has gone under in three of Boston’s last five games.
- Washington has managed 27.4 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Boston has been attempting 31.8 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Boston has averaged 2.9 goals per game overall this year, but is averaging 4.0 per match up across its three-game winning streak.
- Nine of Washington’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 7-2 in those games.
- The Bruins this season have tallied the third-most hits per game (24.3).
