Facing each other for the final time this year, the Edmonton Oilers and the Washington Capitals meet at Capital One Arena. Sportsnet West will broadcast this East-West matchup, and the puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, November 5.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Washington Capitals Odds
Washington enters the game as the substantial favorite with a moneyline of -150. The line for Edmonton sits at +130, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at an even 6 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under).
Edmonton is 8-5 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 4.0 units this season. Through 13 regular season outings, seven of its games have gone under the total, while six have gone over and none have pushed. This 2018-19 Oilers team is 5-2 SU on the road.
Edmonton has found the net on 21.7 percent of its power play opportunities so far. That’s a nice step forward from last year, when it was ranked 31st in the league by scoring on 14.8 percent of its extra-man opportunities. Its penalty kill has fallen off noticeably year-over-year, however, as the team’s gone from successfully defending 76.7 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked 25th overall last year) to 73.2 percent this year.
Edmonton, as a collective unit, has been whistled for penalties just 3.7 times per game in the 2018-19 season, a number that is pretty close to last year’s 3.6 penalties per game. After serving an average of 9.2 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team’s had to stave off opponent power plays for 8.5 minutes per matchup this season.
Sporting a .904 save percentage and 26.5 saves per game, Cam Talbot (5-5-1) has been the top option in goal for Edmonton this season. If head coach Todd Mclellan chooses to rest him, however, Edmonton might go with Mikko Koskinen (3-0), who has a .935 save percentage and 2.02 goals against average this year.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Oilers. McDavid has 21 points on nine goals and 12 assists, and has recorded multiple points six times. Draisaitl has seven goals and seven assists to his credit (and has registered a point in nine games).
On the other side of the rink, Washington is 5-7 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.5 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 12 regular season matches, nine of its games have gone over the total, while three have gone under and none have pushed. Thus far, the team is 3-3 SU at home.
Washington enters the matchup with the second-best power-play unit in the NHL, as it has converted on 35.9 percent of its extra-man chances this season. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 23rd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 75.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Washington skaters have been penalized 4.2 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 4.0, the seventh-highest mark in the NHL. After serving an average of 9.5 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has had to stave off opponent power plays for 8.8 minutes per matchup this year.
Braden Holtby has stopped 26.9 shots per game as the primary choice in the crease for Washington. Holtby has four wins, six losses, and three OT losses and has registered a pedestrian 3.62 goals against average and a fairly-weak .888 save percentage this year.
Evgeny Kuznetsov (six goals, 11 assists) will lead the offensive attack for the Capitals.
Edmonton Oilers at Washington Capitals Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Capitals, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes
After winning three of its four shootouts last year, Washington is off to a 1-1 start in shootouts this season. Edmonton went 5-1 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
For both of these clubs, the total has gone over in four of their last five matches.
Edmonton skaters notched 26.0 hits per game last season, while the Capitals posted 24.2 hits per matchup.
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