In their second head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Detroit Red Wings and the Washington Capitals meet at Capital One Arena in an Eastern Conference showdown. This one gets underway at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 11 and it can be viewed live on Fox Sports Detroit.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Washington Capitals Odds
With a -180 moneyline, Washington heads into the game as the heavy favorite. The line for Detroit sits at +160, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-130 under, +110 over).
Washington is 32-22 straight up (SU) and has earned 5.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, the best in the Metropolitan Division in this young season, is a regression from the 55-27 record that the team posted during the 2016-17 season campaign. Through 54 regular season contests, 31 of the team’s games have gone over the total, while 23 have gone under and none have pushed. This season, the team is 20-9 SU at home.
The Capitals have converted on 20.8 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 22nd overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 79.3 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, the Capitals have been whistled for penalties 4.1 times per game overall this season, and 3.0 per game over their past five match ups. The team’s had to defend opposition power plays for just 7.2 minutes per game over their last five outings, overall.
Averaging 28.8 saves per game with a .916 save percentage, Braden Holtby (28-12-2) has been the primary option in goal for the Caps this year. If head coach Barry Trotz chooses to give him a breather, however, the team might roll with Philipp Grubauer (4-14-14 record, .913 save percentage, 2.69 goals against average).
The Caps will continue to look for offensive production from Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Ovechkin (58 points) has tallied 32 goals and 26 assists and has recorded multiple points in 16 different games this year. Kuznetsov has 15 goals and 37 assists to his credit and has recorded a point in 33 contests.
Detroit is 21-32 straight up (SU) and has lost 9.5 units for moneyline bettors thus far. A total of 30 of its games have gone under the total, while 23 have gone over and none have pushed. The Red Wings are 10-14 SU as an away team this season.
The Red Wings have converted on 19.0 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 23rd overall and it’s successfully killed off 78.6 percent of all opponent power plays.
Detroit’s players have been called for penalties 3.7 times per game this season, 3.2 per game over their last five outings total, and 3.8 per game over their last five games as the visiting team. The team has had to kill penalties just 8.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jimmy Howard (26.2 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Detroit. Howard has 14 wins, 25 losses, and six OT losses to his credit, while registering a .911 save percentage and 2.82 goals against average this year.
Dylan Larkin (eight goals, 32 assists) has been one of the primary playmaking threats for the visiting Red Wings.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Washington Capitals Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Capitals, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes
Detroit is 4-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Washington is 3-1 in shootouts.
The total has gone over in four of Washington’s last five outings.
Over Washington’s last ten outings, four of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 3-1 in those games).
The Capitals this season have handed the 10th-most hits per game (22.5).
