John Carlson, Alex Ovechkin, and the Washington Capitals will do battle against Anthony Duclair, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre in an Eastern Conference showdown. NBC Sports Washington will showcase the matchup, which gets going at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, January 31.
Washington Capitals vs. Ottawa Senators Odds
The Capitals (-200) are being tabbed as the favorites over the Senators (+170) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -125 for the over and +105 for the under.
Washington is 34-17 straight up (SU) and has earned 7.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. 32 of its matches have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and just one has pushed. This 2019-20 Capitals team is 19-7 SU on the road.
Washington has converted on 20.5 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, it has the third-best penalty kill in the league, and it has successfully killed off 84.3 percent of all penalties..
Averaging 25.7 saves per game with a .896 save percentage, Braden Holtby (20-15-4) has been the top option in goal for Washington this season. If it decides to rest him, however, the team may turn to Ilya Samsonov (15-4-1), who has a .927 save percentage and 2.06 goals against average this year.
Over on the other bench, Ottawa is 18-32 straight up (SU) and has lost 8.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 50 regular season matches, 28 of its games have gone over the total, while 21 have gone under and just one has pushed. The team’s 12-13 SU at home this season.
The Senators have converted on just 14.5 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that places them in the bottom overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 16th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.2 percent of all opponent power plays.
Craig Anderson (26.0 saves per game) has been the top netminder in the crease for the Senators. Anderson has seven wins, 16 losses, and one overtime loss to his name and has maintained a fairly-weak .899 save percentage and 3.25 goals against average this year.
Washington Capitals vs. Ottawa Senators Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Capitals, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- Over Ottawa’s last ten outings, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 2-4 in those games).
- Extra-man opportunities could be even more critical than usual tonight. The Capitals are 10-7 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 17-8 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Senators are 5-14 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 9-15 in games where total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Washington is 3-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Ottawa is 0-4 in shootouts.
- Washington might hold an advantage if it’s a tight one late. The team’s an impressive 15-9 in one-goal games, while Ottawa is only 6-13 in such games.
- Washington is ranked 23rd this season with 11.2 giveaways per game. That figure’s trended upward lately, as it’s averaged 13.5 giveaways over its last 10 games and 16.0 giveaways over its last five.
- Ottawa skaters have averaged 12.8 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 10.9 giveaways per game (ranked 21st in the NHL).
- This game features two of the more physical defenses in the league. Washington skaters have accounted for the league’s eighth-most hits per game (23.8) while the Senators have recorded the fourth-most (27.4).
