Washington Capitals vs Edmonton Oilers Prediction: Expect an Offensive Showcase in Alberta
Washington Capitals vs Edmonton Oilers Prediction: Expect an Offensive Showcase in Alberta
The Caps are off a very impressive, come-from-behind win in Calgary last night by the score of 5-4. Washington has now won 3 games in a row, as the returns of Mantha, Backstrom, and Oshie are starting to have their positive effects on the team's offense. The Caps currently hold the final Wild Card spot in the East and have a comfortable 12 points lead on the Blue Jackets. The Oilers are in a rut right now as their inconsistent season continues, Edmonton has lost 3 in a row, most recently they dropped a 5-2 decision at home to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. Due to the losing streak, the Oilers have dropped out of the playoff race, as they are currently 3 points behind streaking Dallas for the final Wild Card spot and 4 points behind Vegas for 3rd in the Pacific.
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As mentioned, the Capitals offense has been surging lately, they have scored 14 goals over their last 3 games, including 3 power play goals. On the road this season, Washington is averaging 3.32 goals per game and only allowing 2.57 goals against, which is 3rd least in the league. The Caps road power play is toward the bottom of the league at only 15%. Over their last 10 road games, that number goes to 20%, and over their last 10 overall games, their power play is clicking at a 25.7% clip, which can be attributed to Backstrom and Oshie returning. The Caps road penalty kill is only 76.6%, which is in the bottom 10 in the league. Five on five, on the road, the Caps have scored 63 goals, which is 6th most in the league, and have allowed 41, 3rd least. The Caps are 16th in high danger scoring chances but they have allowed the 9th most in five on five situations on the road. Ilya Samsonov should get the nod tonight and while his road numbers are very good, he has given up 3 plus goals in 2 of his last 3 road games and 3 of his last 4 overall starts.
The Oilers are in a scoring slump right now, this can be attributed to missing players, and Nugent-Hopkins, Puljajarvi and Bouchard are all out. The Oilers still have enough scorers to make an impact on this game, however. We all know what McDavid and Draisaitl can do, but Evander Kane and Zach Hyman are also having fine seasons. Edmonton is averaging 3.12 goals per game at home and allowing 2.97 goals per game. Their home power play is top six in the league at 26% and their home penalty kill is a very effective 81.3%. Over their last 10 games overall, however, Edmonton's penalty kill has struggled as they have given up 7 power plays on a penalty kill rate of only 66.7% The Oilers are toward the bottom of the NHL in five on five goals at home and middle of the pack in goals allowed.
In their only meeting this season, the Oilers beat the Caps 5-3 in Washington in early February. I think we see a desperate Oiler team tonight that should push the pace offensively against a tired Caps team. The game may start slow but I do see at least 6 goals here tonight.
Washington Capitals vs Edmonton Oilers Pick
- Pick: Capitals vs Oilers Over 6 -125 (Bet $125 to Win $100)
Article Author
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Tone has been handicapping the four major sports for over twenty years. An NHL enthusiast, Tone’s expertise lies on the ice. He’s excelled and profited finding the right angles on NHL games, particularly with player props, game props, and game totals. A contributor to several gaming sites, you can follow him on Twitter @TonesTakes.