Washington Capitals vs. Edmonton Oilers Prediction, NHL Odds
A pair of slumping teams with high expectations go head-to-head on Hockey Night in Canada when the Washington Capitals visit the Edmonton Oilers.
The Caps officially got out of a losing skid last night with a 3-1 victory in Calgary, snapping a four-game losing streak for Washington.
Saturday’s the fourth of eight straight home games for the Oilers, who started out this stand with a 5-0 win but have since dropped two straight on home ice. Edmonton’s now got Anaheim right on their tail in the Pacific Division, but the Oilers still hold second place in their division with 58 points heading into Saturday’s action.
Puck drop at Rogers Place goes at 10 p.m. EST, with the Oilers a -175 moneyline favourite and the over-under at six on the NHL odds.
Capitals vs. Oilers NHL Betting Odds
Last night’s win got Washington back to .500 on the road this season, but they are still going through some road woes with a 3-9 record over their last 12 outings away from home. Saturday’s the fourth of six consecutive games for the Caps on the road; they’ve begun the trip with a 1-2 record.
Seven of the last 10 Capitals–Oilers contests have gone over the total, and Edmonton’s totalled 40 goals over their last 10 games playing Washington. These teams met back on November 19 in a game that saw Washington win 7-4. Washington’s Ryan Leonard and Tom Wilson both scored two goals in the win, and the same for Edmonton defenceman Darnell Nurse. Nine of the Oilers’ last 12 outings with an opponent in the Metropolitan Division have finished over the total, and the over is 16-8 overall in Oilers’ home games this season.
Washington Capitals
Washington desperately needed a win last night and they came through in the final 40 minutes in Calgary, overcoming a 1-0 deficit and leaving with a 3-1 win. Aliaksei Protas ended up with the game-winning tally, his 17th goal of the season. Alexander Ovechkin also got on the board with an empty-net goal. Ovechkin is now tied with Tom Wilson for the team lead with 44 points. Wilson’s 22 goals remain one ahead of Ovechkin. Depth scoring has been just as important for this Caps squad though, as eight skaters now have double-digit goals on the season.
Logan Thompson was between the pipes last night in Calgary, which puts Charlie Lindgren as the expected starter in Edmonton. Lindgren is 7-6-2 this season with an .888 save percentage, which is a big drop statistically from Thompson’s numbers.
Edmonton Oilers
The focus on Saturday for Edmonton will be getting out to a better start. The Oilers fell behind 3-0 to Pittsburgh just three minutes into a 6-2 loss on Thursday. Pittsburgh’s initial three goals came in a span of 37 seconds, which was not only the fastest three ever allowed by the Oilers but a complete buzzkill for the home crowd. Edmonton’s now dropped four of their last five outings on home ice, scoring two or fewer goals in three of those losses. The offensive outbursts are still within this Oilers team though — case in point being a pair 6-0 and 5-0 victories last weekend.
An offensive resurgence will start with Connor McDavid, who is now pointless in consecutive games for the first time this season. The same goes for Leon Drasaitl, despite having 67 points in 49 games this season. McDavid’s 85 points still rank right atop the NHL. Tristan Jarry has started the last two games in net for Edmonton, with Connor Ingram backing up. Expect Jarry to go again on Saturday as Edmonton rides a new starter; Jarry’s 4-2-1 but with an .881 save percentage in seven appearances with Edmonton since being acquired via trade.
WAS
EDM