The Edmonton Oilers will start a three-game stint without the services of their suspended captain, Connor McDavid when they host the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. It's never easy to lose a player from the top of your lineup, but it makes it even more challenging when the player is the best in the world. McDavid has stayed relatively healthy in his career, but the Oilers hold a 22-27-10 record when he is out of the lineup. It is disappointing for the Oilers, as they are just one point behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first in the Pacific Division. On the other hand, the Capitals are starting to run away with the Metropolitan Division, owning an eight-point lead over the Carolina Hurricanes with a game in hand. It's time to continue our NHL odds series with a Capitals-Oilers prediction and pick.

Here are the Capitals-Oilers NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Capitals-Oilers Odds

Washington Capitals: +1.5 (-220)

Moneyline: +120

Edmonton Oilers: -1.5 (+190)

Moneyline: -133

Over: 6 (+102)

Under: 6 (-120)

How To Watch Capitals vs. Oilers

Time: 9 PM ET/6 PM PT

TV: Sportsnet, MNMT

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Why the Capitals Could Cover the Spread/Win

It should be an intriguing matchup between two of the league's hottest teams, but it is even more disappointing that McDavid will miss the marquee game. The Capitals have points in ten consecutive games, owning a 7-0-3 record over that span. It's incredible how close they were to seeing all those ten games be wins, as the losses came against a surging Montreal Canadiens but a struggling Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild.

Logan Thompson's performance over the past five games has been exceptional, making it even more confusing why he wasn't picked to be Team Canada's netminder at the Four Nations Faceoff. Thompson has played the last five games and will likely start again in this game since the Capitals have been off since Saturday. He has a 4-0-1 record, a 0.83 goals-against average, and a .962 save percentage. It's impossible to maintain that form for too long, but even a slight drop-off makes him one of the league's best.

Why the Oilers Could Cover the Spread/Win

The Oilers are coming off a loss to their hated rivals, the Vancouver Canucks, on Saturday night. It won't go over well for a team that had won eight of their past nine games before that defeat. Edmonton has some tight wins over that stretch, but all they worry about is that two points are on the board, and they are inching closer to the Golden Knights for first in the division.

It'll be the season's first meeting between these teams, but the Oilers won both matchups last season. It came a year after the Capitals did the same to them during the 2022-23 season. They'll need Stuart Skinner to be at his best to battle with Thompson, but he has allowed three goals in back-to-back games. Overall, it has been a better season for Skinner, and he is doing enough to lead the Oilers to their sterling record.

Final Capitals-Oilers Prediction & Pick

It could take some time for the Oilers' offense to recover from McDavid's loss, and this is a poor team against which that could happen. The Capitals have one of the league's best goalies, who has barely let anything past him over the past five games. It's impossible to look past the Capitals as underdogs in this matchup.

Final Capitals-Oilers Prediction & Pick: Capitals ML (+120)