Tonight’s NHL matchups include a massive game between two division leaders with the Washington Capitals at Edmonton Oilers. Both teams come into the game with pretty records this season thus far. The Capitals, who will be the visiting team, have posted a record of 7-2-2 so far and are coming off a big 5-2 win against the Calgary Flames in Calgary. They’ve been pretty good offensively this year but this isn’t really a surprise when you’ve got Alexander Ovechkin in your squad.
The Edmonton Oilers seem to have turned it around since last season, even if it may still be the early days. Their record is one better than the Caps at 7-2-1 but they are coming off two straight losses against the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild away from home. What will they do now that they’ve returned to Edmonton and have a day to rest up?
Washington Capitals at Edmonton Oilers Predictions
Well, before we state our predictions, here are some facts and stats about the Oilers and Capitals we took in consideration while making them:
- The Capitals have got two pretty good goaltenders in their squad in the form of Braden Holtby and Ilya Samsonov. While Holtby holds the position of starter for the moment, he has recorded a goals against average of 3.6 and an overall save percentage of .884, which many fans are disappointed in. Samsonov has recorded a 1.84 goals against average and a save percentage .933. It almost seems the wiser move to start Samsonov in this matchup.
- The Oilers also have two good goaltenders. Starter Mike Smith has so far posted a goals against average of 2.14 and a save percentage of .925. Whereas backup Mikko Koskinen has won more games with the team but has posted a lower goals against average at 2.2 but a higher save percentage at .934.
- The Capitals enter the game on a four-game win streak that has seen them score more than four goals in each. As mentioned above, the team is quite strong offensively this year. Defensiveman John Carlson has racked up five goals and 15 assists so far and Alex Ovechkin has recorded seven goals and five assists. They’re really not having a hard time of getting the puck where they want it to be.
- The Oilers aren’t doing badly in offense either. Connor McDavid has certainly been a standout star this year scoring five goals and racking up 12 assists. James Neal has also been putting the puck in the right spot pretty often.
Now that we’ve looked at all this information, here are our betting recommendations for the Washington Capitals at Edmonton Oilers:
- Moneyline – we recommend going with Washington. They are coming off four straight wins and seem to be proving difficult to handle offensively. Although the game may be in Edmonton, the Oilers are coming off two big losses where their offense struggled to score and defense struggled to keep the puck out.
Kim’s NHL Prediction Record so far: 14-16
Washington Capitals at Edmonton Oilers Odds
Moneyline
Teams | BetOnline | Sports Betting | MyBookie | Bovada | Intertops |
Capitals | -115 | -115 | -135 | -135 | -130 |
Oilers | +104 | +104 | +115 | +110 | +110 |
Puck Line
Teams | BetOnline | Sports Betting | MyBookie | Bovada | Intertops |
Capitals | +190 | +190 | +185 | +195 | +185 |
Oilers | -220 | -220 | -225 | -240 | -225 |