In their third and final head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Washington Capitals and the Detroit Red Wings clash at Little Caesars Arena for an Eastern Conference showdown. NBC Sports Network will air the action, which gets going at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 22.
Washington Capitals vs. Detroit Red Wings Odds
Washington (+145) is playing the role of underdog to Washington (-165), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -115 for the over and -105 for the under.
Washington is 42-31 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 6.4 units this year. 42 of its outings have gone over the total, while 30 have gone under and just one has pushed. The Caps are 16-20 SU on the road in 2017-18.
Washington has converted on 22.7 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s good enough for fifth-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 21st out of 31 teams, and it’s successfully killed off 79.6 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Caps have been penalized 4.1 times per game this season, and 2.8 per game over its last five road outings. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays 8.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
With a .906 save percentage and 27.5 saves per game, Braden Holtby (31-19-4) has been the top option in goal for Washington this season. If Washington chooses to rest him, however, the team may turn to Philipp Grubauer (11-19-3), who has a .922 save percentage and 2.37 goals against average this year.
The visiting Capitals have relied on Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov heavily this season. Ovechkin (81 points) has tallied 44 goals and 37 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 21 different games. Kuznetsov has 21 goals and 50 assists to his nameand has notched a point in 42 games.
On the other side of the rink, Detroit is 27-46 straight up (SU) and has lost 16.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. 42 of its outings have gone under the total, while 29 have gone over and just two have pushed. It’s 14-22 SU at home this year.
The Red Wings have converted on just 17.6 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that’s ranked 23rd in the NHL. Its penalty kill is also ranked 23rd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 77.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
Detroit players have been sent to the penalty box 3.7 times per game in total this season, and 4.4 per game over their past five outings. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 6.4 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Jimmy Howard (26.7 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in goal for the Red Wings. Howard has 19 wins, 35 losses, and eight OT losses to his credit and has registered a mediocre 2.89 goals against average and a poor .909 save percentage this year.
The home team offense will be led by Dylan Larkin (11 goals, 42 assists).
Washington Capitals at Detroit Red Wings Free Picks
Free Pick: SU Winner – Red Wings, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
Washington is 3-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Detroit is 5-1 in shootouts.
The over has hit in three of Detroit’s last five games.
Over Detroit’s last ten outings, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 0-6 in those games).
—–
