The Tampa Bay Lightning look to break their two-game skid as they face the Washington Capitals. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Capitals-Lightning prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Capitals come into the game sitting at 25-21-8 on the year, which is good for sixth in the Metropolitan Division. They have also won their last two games. Last time out, they faced the New Jersey Devils. The Capitals took the lead on a Connor McMichael goal just 39 seconds into the game, but the Devils would tie it up before the end of the period. In the second, McMichael scored again to give the Capitals back the lead. This led to them leading going into the third, where Dylan Strome, Alex Ovechkin, and Michael Sgarbossa would all score to make it 5-1. Ovechkin would add another goal, and the Capitals would win 6-2.
Meanwhile, the Lightning are 30-22-5 on the year, sitting fourth in the Atlantic Division. Last time out, they faced the Ottawa Senators. The Senators took a 2-0 lead in the first period, on goals from Tim Stutzle and Mathieu Joseph. Joseph would add a second goal in the second period before the Lightning scored to make it 3-1 on a Mitchell Chaffee goal. The Lightning would give up another goal before Brayden Point made it 4-2, but the Lightning would fall by that score.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Capitals-Lightning Odds
Washington Capitals: +1.5 (-144)
Moneyline: +168
Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (+120)
Moneyline: -205
Over: 6.5 (+106)
Under: 6.5 (-130)
How to Watch Capitals vs. Lightning
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Capitals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Capitals come into the game sitting 30th in the NHL in goals per game this year, with just 2.48 goals per game on the season. They are led by Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin comes into the game third on the team in goals and second in assists, but leading the team in points this year. He has 16 goals and 25 assists this year for 41 points. Six of the goals and ten of the assists have been on the power play. Meanwhile, Dylan Strome leads the team in goals this year. He comes into the game with 21 goals this year and 18 assists, good for 39 total points, second on the team. He also has five goals and six assists on the power play this year.
John Carlson leads the team in assists this year, playing from the blue line. He comes into the game with three goals and 28 assists, good for a third-ranked 31 points. He has a goal and ten assists on the power play. Rounding out the top scorers, and sitting second on the team in goals, is Anthony Mantha. Mantha comes into the game with 17 goals and 11 assists overall. He has struggled on the power play though, with just one goal and four assists.
The Capitals sit 25th in the NHL this year on the power play, with a 16.3 percent conversion rate on the man advantage. Further, they are 14th in the NHL on the penalty kill, with an 80.0 percent success rate.
Charlie Lindgren is expected to be in goal for this captain. He is 11-8-4 on the year with a 2.62 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. Lindgren has been solid in two of the last three games. IT started with 18 saves and a shutout against the Bruins. The next time out, he took the loss after allowing four goals on 35 shots. Last time out, it was just two goals on 39 shots in the win.
Why The Lightning Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Lightning sit sixth in the NHL in scoring this year with 3.39 goals per game. Nikita Kucherov leads the team in goals, assists, and points this year. He comes into the game with 36 goals on the season and 58 assists, good for 94 total points. Kucherov leads the NHL in points this year, two points ahead of second place in Nathan MacKinnon. He has been great on the power play this year, with 12 goals and 28 assists on the power play this year. Meanwhile, Brayden Point sits second on the team in goals and points this year. He has 28 goals and 30 assists this year, good for his 58 points. Eight of the goals and 12 assists come on the power play.
Joining him as a top scorer is Steven Stamkos. Stamkos comes in with 23 goals this year and 27 assists good for 50 points. He also has been solid on the power play, with 12 goals and 16 assists this year. Meanwhile, Lightning also gets a lot of help from the blue line on offense. Victor Hedman comes into the game with nine goals and 45 assists this year, good for 54 points. This gives the Lightning five players with 50 or more points.
The Lightning have been great this year on the power play. This year, they have a 30.2 percent success rate on the power play, with 52 total power-play goals. That is the first in the NHL this year. Further, the Lightning have been average when man-down this year. They are 13th in the NHL on the penalty kill with an 80.0 percent success rate this year.
The Lighting is expected to send Andrei Vasilevskiy to defend the net in this one. He is 19-13-0 on the year with a 2.95 goals-against average and a .989 save percentage. Vasilevskiy has struggled in his last two starts. giving up ten goals over the two starts, while sitting below .860 in save percentage.
Final Capitals-Lightning Prediction & Pick
The Capitals are not the best-scoring team in the NHL, but they can score when given opportunities, scoring much better as of late. Andrei Vasilevskiy has been struggling as has the Tampa Bay defense, this should give the Capitals plenty of chances to score. Further, the Lightning are one of the best-scoring teams in the NHL this year. They will be able to put up plenty of goals of their own in this one. Seeing what the Capitals just did to the Devils makes it hard to pick against them, but in this Capitals-Lightning game, the best prediction is taking the over.
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Final Capitals-Lightning Prediction & Pick: Over 6.5 (+106)
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