The Capitals and Blues meet in St. Louis! These two teams have been solid with the Washington Capitals playing great and then the Blues have been solid but also inconsistent. We continue our NHL odds series with a Capitals-Blues prediction and pick.
The Washington Capitals have opened the season playing well. Dylan Strome and Alex Ovechkin are the two biggest keys for the Capitals this season. Strome has been red hot to open the year, and then Ovechkin is great as always. The Capitals have had a great start to open the year.
The St. Louis Blues were inconsistent last year and missed the playoffs. They seem like they could be a better team this season. Robert Thomas was the biggest key for the team last season, but this season, Jordan Kyrou has been the main standout. The Blues have potential, but they have struggled to find consistency.
Here are the Capitals-Blues NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Capitals-Blues Odds
Washington Capitals: -1.5 (+194)
Moneyline: -126
St. Louis Blues: +1.5 (-245)
Moneyline: +105
Over: 6.5 (+104)
Under: 6.5 (-128)
How To Watch Capitals vs Blues
Time: 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT
TV: ESPN+/Monumental Sports Network/FanDuel Sports Network Midwest
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Capitals Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Capitals struggled last season on offense. They scored 2.63 goals per game and had a 9.9% shooting percentage. In comparison, this season's offense is playing even better, scoring 4.08 goals per game and having a 13.5% save percentage. This team went as Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome went last season.
Strome led the way with 67 total points and Ovechkin led the way in total goals at 31. This season, Dylan Strome has been a difference maker, leading the way with 19 points and 15 assists, while Ovechkin leads in assists at eight. This offense has improved and is key for the Capitals in having a good season this year and going back to the postseason.
The Capitals' defense was inconsistent last season. They allowed 3.07 goals per game and had a 90.3 % save percentage. They have played better this season, with them allowing 2.92 goals per game with a 90% save percentage. The Devils had a rotating door of goalies in their rotation last year. The only goalie that has carried over from last year to this season was Charlie Lindgren.
He had a 25-16 record and allowed 2.67 goals per game with a 91.1% save percentage. This season, Lindgren has a 3-3 record with an 89.6% save percentage. The best goalie this year is Logan Thompson, and he has a 6-0 record and is allowing 2.68 goals per game with a 90.3% save percentage. This defense is key after how much they struggled last year.
Why the Blues Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Blues were solid on defense last season. They allowed 3.02 goals per game and had a 91.3% save percentage. So far this season, the defense has been solid, allowing 3.14 goals per game, and they have a 90.4% save percentage. The defense will come down to the duo of Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer at goalie.
Binnington had 28 wins and 21 losses in 57 games last season, and he allowed 2.84 goals per game with a 91.3% save percentage. Then, Hofer had 15 wins and 12 losses, allowing 2.65 goals per game with a 91.4% save percentage.
This season, Binnington is 4-5 and is allowing 2.77 goals per game with a 90.4% save percentage, while Hofer is 3-2 and allows 3.33 goals per game and has a 90.3% save percentage. The Blues have a lot of potential with this defense this season.
The Blues' offense struggled last season and was very inconsistent. They scored 2.85 goals per game and had a 9.9% shooting percentage on goal. In comparison, this season, they have been inconsistent as well, scoring 2.64 goals per game and they have a 10.2% save percentage. Robert Thomas carried this team on offense last season with 86 total points, 26 goals, and 60 assists.
The offense has been balanced this season, but Jordan Kyrou leads the way with 12 total points, five goals, and seven assists in five games this season. This offense needs to be more consistent overall for the Blues this season. The Blues have potential on offense too because they have shown balance up to this point in the season.
Final Capitals-Blues Prediction & Pick
The Capitals are the better team this season and overall. The Blues are playing better as a team from last year, but the Capitals are better and have more talent across the board. Expect the Blues to keep this close and make things interesting at first, and then the Capitals should win and cover, even on the road. They have won four out of their last five games and should keep winning here.
Final Capitals-Blues Prediction & Pick: Washington Capitals -1.5 (+194)
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