A couple of teams that’ve positioned themselves firmly in the playoff hunt, the San Jose Sharks and the Washington Capitals meet at Capital One Arena for a West-versus-East matchup. The first puck will drop at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, December 4, and you can view the game live on NBC Sports Washington.
San Jose Sharks vs. Washington Capitals Odds
With a moneyline of -130, Washington heads into the game as the favorite. The line for San Jose sits at +110, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-140 for the under, +120 for the over).
Earning moneyline bettors 1.0 units, the Capitals are 15-12 straight up (SU) overall this year. That early-season winning percentage is a regression from the 55-27 record that the team posted during last year’s regular season campaign. Through 27 regular season matches, 15 of the team’s games have gone over the total, while 12 have gone under and none have pushed. This season, the team’s 9-5 SU at home.
Washington has converted on 20.9 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated 21st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 77.8 percent of all penalties.
Washington, as a collective unit, has been penalized 4.4 times per game overall this season, and 2.8 per game over its last five matchups home outings. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays for just 7.5 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, overall.
Averaging 28.9 saves per game with a .919 save percentage, Braden Holtby (14-6) has been the best goalkeeper for the Capitals this year. If head coach Barry Trotz chooses to rest him, however, the Caps may turn to Philipp Grubauer (1-8-8 record, .886 save percentage, 3.49 goals against average).
Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin will both lead the way for the Capitals. Kuznetsov (29 points) is up to nine goals and 20 assists and has recorded two or more points in eight different games this year. Ovechkin has 19 goals and seven assists to his name and has notched at least one point in 15 contests.
San Jose is 14-11 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.8 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 25 regular season matches, 18 of its games have gone under the total, while six have gone over and just one has pushed. As the away team, San Jose is 7-4 SU so far.
San Jose has converted on just 16.9 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that places it in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked third overall and it’s successfully killed off 87.8 percent of all penalties.
San Jose’s players have been penalized only 3.6 times per game this season, and 2.8 per game over their last five on the road. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays just 5.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Martin Jones (25.8 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for San Jose. Jones owns a 10-8-2 record, and has registered a .926 save percentage and 2.23 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive attack for the visiting Sharks will be Logan Couture (13 goals, eight assists) and Joe Thornton (four goals, 12 assists).
San Jose Sharks vs. Washington Capitals Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Sharks, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
San Jose is 1-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Washington is 2-0 in shootouts.
The total has gone over in four of Washington’s last five games.
The Caps this season have tallied the 12th-most hits per game (22.3).
