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Edgar Chaput
Washington Capitals vs. Vegas Golden Knights Prediction, NHL Odds
Not much was made of the Washington Capitals when the season began other than Alex Ovechkin’s chase of Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record. Lo and behold, they’re currently second in the Metropolitan Division, with their most recent success coming on Friday night when they battered the Colorado Avalanche 5-2. For Vegas, they’re good, as they usually are. The Knights were in Utah Friday and won 4-2.
As per our NHL odds, the host Golden Knights are expected to shine through. They’re -135 on the moneyline and -1.5 against the puck line.
Capitals vs. Golden Knights NHL Betting Odds
Memories of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final are surely flooding through fans’ minds. Washington took that series 4-1, thus earning the franchise and its superstar Ovechkin their first-ever championship win.
The Capitals earned the biggest spoils of all in that series, but since then Vegas has hit big, winning seven of 10 meetings. Even though it’s only November, Sunday is already the regular season series finale, as Washington won 4-2 on home ice on Oct. 24.
Not only are the Capitals 11-4-1 in the standings, but they’ve mustered a solid 10-6 record against the spread. Dylan Strome leads the charge in this group, as he’s tallied 24 points in 16 games (five goals, 19 assists). His contributions are partially why the Caps are a high-flying operation these days. They net 4.19 times per contest.
Not far behind are these very Golden Knights, who score 4.12 times a game. That makes these sides the second and third-highest scoring NHL squads, respectively. This feels like a good time to consider the over. Vegas is also putting a good showing ATS given its 10-7 record. It should be noted that Mark Stone is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
Washington Capitals
Friday’s match in Colorado was yet another litmus test for a group some might say are overperforming in 2024-25. The Avalanche had started to right their ship after a difficult start to the campaign.
True enough, the host Avs got out to a quick start, with Parker Kelly (first) scoring two minutes after puck drop. But as the Capitals have begun to show, this isn’t the same team anymore. Jakub Vrana (third, power play) and Connor McMichael (11th) both ripped home shots before the 10-minute mark for a 2-1 Washington lead.
McMichael (12th) was at it again in the second period. This time, it was with a superb pinch in Colorado’s zone. He stole the puck, whisked around a defender, and back-handed a shot for a 3-1 advantage. The Avalanche would cut the deficit to 3-2 a few minutes later, but Washington was undeterred, as Jakob Chychrun (fourth) made it 4-2 before the sides retired to the locker rooms. Rasmus Sandin (third) would add an empty netter late.
This was a nice statement win for the Capitals. Taking care of the Golden Knights would be another.
Vegas Golden Knights
A team’s experience can come in handy in the most dire situations. On Friday night, the Golden Knights tussled with the Utah Hockey Club and needed to dig deep to find two points.
Vegas was very lethargic for about a period and a half. Utah held a deserved 2-0 lead midway through the contest. Were it not for some superb Adin Hill saves, the game would have been done and dusted (Utah also hit the post in the first period). But this is Vegas, a good team replete with veterans who know what it takes to win tough games. Tomas Hertl (sixth and seventh) continued his great start to 2024-25 by scoring in close on the power play in the middle frame, then again on the man advantage in the third.
The score would remain deadlocked at 2-2 until 18:42 when William Karlsson (third) tipped a Kaedan Korczak shot for the winner. He would slot home an empty net marker shortly thereafter to make it a 4-2 final.
WAS
VEG