Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals NHL Picks & Predictions 12/28/2017

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Capital One Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Boston Bruins travel to Capital One Arena to play the Washington Capitals on Thursday, December 28, 2017. The opening line for this game has the Bruins at +104 and the Capitals at -115.

Boston has a record of 19-10-5 this season and on the road they have a record of 7-5-2-1. They are 3rd in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 101 goals and given up 89 goals for a point differential of +12. For the season they have an ATS record of 19-15-0 and an over/under record of 15-19-0. Washington is 22-13-2 including 14-5-0-0 at home this season. They are 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 114 goals and surrendered 107 for a goal differential of +7. Their record against the spread is 22-15-0 while their over/under record is 20-17-0.

Valuable Boston Bruins Betting Trends

The Boston Bruins are 19-15-0 straight up this year

The Boston Bruins are 15-19-0 against the over/under this season

Important Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 22-15-0 straight up this year

The Washington Capitals are 20-17-0 against the over/under this season

Key Boston Bruins Injuries

12/23/17 D Adam McQuaid Fibula is "?" Wednesday vs Ottawa
12/21/17 C David Krejci Upper Body IR (12/21)
11/26/17 C Peter Cehlarik Lower Body IR (11/25)

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

No key injuries to report

Player Spotlight

David Pastrnak has accumulated 33 total points this season for the Bruins. He has 15 goals this year with 94 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 16%. He has a total of 18 assists on the season and averages 18.6 minutes played per game. Brad Marchand averages 20.5 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 23% by scoring 15 goals on 66 shots. He has 17 assists, giving him a total of 32 points on the season. Tuukka Rask has 11 wins and 8 losses this season in net for the Bruins. He has 625 shots against him and he's given up 51 goals. He's made 574 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Alex Ovechkin has scored 37 total points this year for the Capitals. He has 23 goals this season with 165 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 14%. He has a total of 14 assists on the season and averages 19.3 minutes played per game. Nicklas Backstrom averages 19.5 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 11% by scoring 7 goals on 65 shots. He has 21 assists, giving him a total of 28 points on the season. Braden Holtby has 20 wins and 8 losses this year in goal for the Capitals. He has 863 shots against him and he's surrendered 71 goals. He's made 792 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Bruins have 43 total points this season, which ranks them 11th in the NHL. They are 21st in the league in goals scored with 101 while they've given up 89 goals, ranking them 28th overall. They have had 112 power play opportunities and have scored 23 goals on those chances for a percentage of 21%. That is 11th in the NHL. The Bruins have allowed 106 power play opportunities and have given up 17 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%, putting them 4th in the league when short-handed. They average 32 shots per game and as a team shoot 9.32% for the season. They allow 30 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 11th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Capitals are 8th in the NHL with a total of 46 points this year. They have 22 power play goals on 115 opportunities for a percentage of 19%. That ranks them 18th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 128 power play opportunities and have given up 27 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 79%. That is 22nd in the NHL. As a team, the Capitals are 8th in the league with 114 goals scored while they've given up 107 goals, which is 14th overall. They average 28 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 10.82%. As a team they give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%. That is 16th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Boston is 7th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.8%, as they've attempted 2,024 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,881 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 52.1% as they have 1,533 attempts while they have given up 1,411 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 6th in the league. The Bruins start possessions in the offensive zone 54.8% of the time, which is 3rd in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 45.2% for the season. That is 27th overall in the NHL. They have 1,103 face-off wins compared to 1,058 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51%. That ranks them 9th in the league. On defense Boston has 812 hits and they have blocked 470 shots from the opposition, putting them 28th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Capitals start possessions in the offensive zone 49.8% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 50.2% for the year. That ranks them 20th and 14th respectively in the NHL. They have 1,142 face-off wins as opposed to 1,062 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.8%. That is 7th in the league. On defense Washington has 819 hits and they've blocked 539 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 13th in blocked shots. Washington is ranked 28th in Corsi percentage with 48% as they've tried 2,038 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 2,210 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage is 30th in the NHL at 47.1%, as they have 1,490 shots while they've given up 1,671 attempts on defense.

Who will win tonight's Bruins/Capitals NHL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Washington -115

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