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The Washington Capitals travel to Central Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second of a home-and-home series. It's time to continue our NHL odds series and deliver a Capitals-Lightning prediction and pick.
The Capitals and Lightning played on Friday night, which was a dominating victory for Washington. It was a scoreless game in the first period when Anthony Mantha connected off a cross-ice pass from Lars Ehler, sending it past Andrei Vasilevskiy to give the Caps a 1-0 lead. Then, Sonny Milano and Aliaksei Protas connected on goals to buffer the lead to 3-0. Connor Sheary added a goal in the third, and Milano netted his second of the game to finish a 5-1 conquest.
Steven Stamkos finished with a plus/minus rating of -2. Additionally, Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov each finished with a rating of -3. Braydon Point finished with a -1 rating. Significantly, neither team succeeded on the powerplay. The Lightning were 0 for 3, while the Capitals went 0 for 6.
Washington stars Alexander Ovechkin, John Carlson, and Evgeni Kuznetsov each had an assist to help contribute to the scoring. Now, they look to keep it up as the battle heads south to Florida.
The Capitals have gone 7-3-3 against the Lightning over a 13-game stretch. Also, the Bolts are 3-2 at home against the Caps over the last five games. They lost played at Amalie Arena last season, with the Lightning winning 3-2.
Here are the Capitals-Lightning NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Capitals-Lightning Odds
Washington Capitals: +1.5 (-172)
Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (+140)
Over: 6.5 (+104)
Under: 6.5 (-128)
Why The Capitals Could Cover The Spread
The Capitals have a team with aging stars. Additionally, many of their top contributors are out with injuries right now. T.J. Oshie and Nikas Backstrom are out with ailments. Likewise, Tom Wilson has a torn ACL. These three are essential cogs in the Washington offense, and it has shown on the ice.
Ovechkin continues to shine with eight goals and six assists. Likewise, he has tallied five powerplay goals. Kuznetsov has two goals and 10 assists. Also, he has added two goals on the powerplay. Dylan Strome has four goals and eight assists but has yet to score on the extra-man attack.
Goalscoring continues to be an issue, with the Caps ranking 16th in goals. Additionally, they rank 15th in shooting percentage and 15th on the powerplay. Their penalty kill has performed well, ranking sixth.
Goalie Darcy Kuemper has done an adequate job. So far, he is 5-6-1 with a 2.35 goals-against average with a save percentage of .920. He has done his part to keep goals out of the net.
The Capitals will cover the spread if they can capitalize on the powerplay chances and score early. Moreover, their defense must contain the megastars on the Lightning roster.
Why The Lightning Could Cover The Spread
The Bolts boast some of the best players in the game. Therefore, when those guys thrive, the team usually wins. Kucherov has six goals and 15 assists, with one powerplay goal. Also, Point has tallied six goals and nine assists, with two on the powerplay. Stamkos has seven goals and six assists.
Consequently, he has added five powerplay goals. Brandon Hagel has put in five goals and six assists, with one on the extra-man attack. Meanwhile, defenseman Mikail Sergachev has two goals and eight assists, with one on the powerplay. However, Hedman is not putting up his normal numbers. He has one goal and eight assists, none on the powerplay.
Vasilevskiy remains one of the best goalies in the league. However, he has struggled recently and again slumped in Friday's match. Vasilevskiy currently has a record of 4-5-1 with a 3.11 goals-against average and a save percentage of .901. Ultimately, the Bolts need him to perform at the elite level they expect of him. Vasilevskiy needs to refocus and find the puck when the Caps fire on him. Therefore, it will be up to him to rebound and make the plays in front of his net.
The Lightning will cover the spread if their top players find ways to contribute. Additionally, they cannot allow Ovechkin to burn them. The Bolts cannot take six penalties again.
Final Capitals-Lightning Prediction & Pick
The Lightning likely will bounce up. However, the Caps always play them tight and battled them to a 3-2 loss at Amalie Arena last season. It will not be easy, but the Lightning could steal this game. Ultimately, it will be a battle to the very end, with one team pulling their goalie to try and tie it up. Expect the Capitals to cover the spread and make this a good game until the very end.
Final Capitals-Lightning Prediction & Pick: Washington Capitals: +1.5 (-172)
