Washington Capitals vs. Chicago Blackhawks Prediction, NHL Odds
The Washington Capitals have a chance to jump to the top of the NHL standings with a win in Chicago on Wednesday. Washington has been of since a 3-2 shootout win in Buffalo on Saturday. The Blackhawks’ Monday night game against Calgary was postponed because of the Flames’ COVID issues, so Chicago has also been off since Saturday, when they dropped a 5-4 decision in Toronto.
The Capitals are -151 favourites to win on the NHL odds, with a total of 5.5.
Capitals vs. Blackhawks NHL Betting Odds
This wraps up the season series for these teams after the Blackhawks walked away with a 4-3 shootout win in Washington on Dec. 2. These teams have split their last three season series’, while the Over has hit in six of the last seven head-to-heads. Sports Interaction bettors are heavy on the Caps, with about 90 per cent of action taking Washington in this game and about the same amount taking the Over.
Washington has been solid on the road this season, posting an 8-3-2 record outside of D.C. They’re 17-11 against the spread overall and 9-4 ATS on the road. High scoring games have been a theme for the Capitals as the Over has hit in eight of their last 10 games.
It’s been a well-documented disaster in Chicago this season and they come into Wednesday’s contest with a 5-6-1 home record. They’re 14-13 ATS and have failed to cover in seven of 12 home games. The total has gone Under in five of the Blackhawks’ last six home games.
Washington Capitals
Washington picked up their third win in four games against Buffalo on Saturday and they now trail Toronto by just two points for first place in the NHL, with two games in-hand over the Leafs. Lars Eller and Martin Fehervary scored in regulation for the Caps on Saturday, while Daniel Sprong and T.J. Oshie had the shootout goals. Vitek Vanecek stopped 29 of 31 shots in regulation and two of three in the shootout.
The Capitals have been one of the best all-round teams this season. They sit fifth in both goals per game (3.39) and goals against (2.50). Alex Ovechkin has been a big part of that success. Ovechkin is second in league scoring with 44 points (20G, 24A), trailing Edmonton’s duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl by a single point.
Ilya Samsonov is expected to get the start in net on Wednesday. Samsonov has established himself as Washington’s No. 1 goalie over Vanecek, posting an 11-2-1 record with a 2.47 goals-against average and .915 save percentage.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks are likely hoping the extra rest from Monday’s postponed game against Calgary will benefit the club against Washington. Chicago dropped a wild one in Toronto on Saturday, giving up a late-game winning goal with less than two minutes to play. Jonathan Toews, Connor Murphy, Dominik Kubalik and Jake McCabe had the goals for the Hawks. Kevin Lankinen allowed five goals on 26 shots.
Chicago is averaging 2.19 goals per game this season, 29th in the NHL, and they give up 3.19 goals, good for 23rd in the league. Lack of offence has been a big issue this season, as only Alex DeBrincat has tallied double-digit goals. Only three Hawks players, DeBrincat (14), Brandon Hagel (8) and Patrick Kane (7) have scored more than six goals. Seth Jones leads the team with 23 points (3G, 20A) in 27 games.
Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to get the start in net on Wednesday. The reigning Vezina winner has struggled in his first season in Chicago, largely due to a weak team in front of him. Fleury is 8-10-0 with a 2.79 GAA and .913 SV. The three-time Stanley Cup winner recently became just the third goalie ever to reach 500 career wins in the NHL, after fellow Quebec goalies Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur.
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