The Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights have some history. These teams have faced in the Stanley Cup Finals back in 2018. This time around, while the Cup isn't on the line tonight, the Golden Knights need a win to give their dimming playoff chances a boost. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NHL odds series, which includes our Capitals-Golden Knights prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Capitals-Golden Knights odds:

NHL odds: Capitals-Golden Knights Odds

Capitals: +1.5 (-220)(+114 ML)

Golden Knights: -1.5 (+180) (-137 ML)

Over: 6.5 (-105)

Under: 6.5 (-115)

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Why the Capitals Could Cover the Spread 

The Capitals are headed to the playoffs, thanks to the New York Islanders losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs over the weekend. They are also fresh off a win against a heavyweight, taking down the Colorado Avalanche on the road Monday night, 3-2. Washington is in the middle of a pretty sweet stretch, as the team has won seven of eight games. The Capitals are also 8-3-0 in 11 games. Apart from the Avalanche, other Stanley Cup Playoffs contenders the Caps beat in that span were the likes of the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins.

Helping fuel the recent success of the Capitals is the play of their special teams offensively, with Washington converting seven times on its last 27 chances on the man advantage. With Alex Ovechkin still the most dangerous weapon for Washington’s offense, the Capitals are able to become a top-10 team in terms of 5-on-5 shooting percentage (8.5%) and goals for per contest (3.39).

The ageless Ovechkin is putting together yet another memorable season in his Hall of Fame career, having now scored 48 goals. He scored his 48th in the Colorado game, moving him a goal away from breaking Teemu Selanne’s NHL record for most goals in a season by a player aged 36 years or older. The Russian superstar could break the record as soon as tonight against the Golden Knights, who have given seven goals in their last two outings. And speaking of defense, the Capitals might have Vitek Vanecek doing goaltender duties tonight after resting against the Avs. Vanecek stopped 28 of 29 shots in a 1-0 home loss to Vegas way back in January. 

Why the Golden Knights Could Cover the Spread

The Golden Knights hurt their chances to make the playoffs after losing a very winnable game against the New Jersey Devils last Monday at home, 3-2. That defeat came after a 4-0 setback on the road at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers. Following the loss to New New Jersey, the Golden Knights went three points behind the third spot in the Pacific Division and four points behind the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Nevertheless, Vegas still has a chance to clinch a postseason ticket, but it has to start winning games, beginning tonight against the Capitals. As mentioned earlier, the Golden Knights beat Washington in the first meeting this season, thanks mainly to the performance of their goalie Robin Lehner, who turned away all 34 shots on goal from the Caps. Lehner’s going to need a bigger run support than the lone goal he had to work on in the first game against Washington. Although they lost to New Jersey, the Golden Knights took heart still from the two goals they scored after going scoreless in the Edmonton game.

The Golden Knights also recently smothered the Calgary Flames offensively in a 6-1 win on the road. Vegas is averaging 3.14 goals for per game this season and should be putting up more based on their 5-on-5 174.61 xGF, sixth-highest in the NHL, per Natural Stat Trick. The Golden Knights are also second overall – behind the high-powered Florida Panthers attack – with 616 high-danger scoring chances. Jack Eichel will look to add to his totals after scoring six goals to go with a pair of assists in the last 10 Vegas games.

Final Capitals-Golden Knights Prediction & Pick

The Golden Knights have an opportunity here to take advantage of a tired Washington team that will be playing the fourth leg of a five-game road trip. And then the obvious: the Golden Knights need this game more than Washington does. The necessity and thirst for Vegas is there. Rolling the dice on the Golden Knights here.

Final Capitals-Golden Knights Pick: Golden Knights  (-137 ML)