New Jersey Devils at Washington Capitals NHL Picks & Predictions 12/30/2017

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Capital One Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The New Jersey Devils travel to Capital One Arena to play the Washington Capitals on Saturday, December 30, 2017. The opening line for this game has the Devils at -105 and the Capitals at -105.

New Jersey has a record of 22-9-5 this season and on the road they have a record of 10-4-3-1. They are 1st in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 116 goals and given up 104 goals for a point differential of +12. For the season they have an ATS record of 22-14-0 and an over/under record of 19-16-0. Washington has a record of 23-13-3 including 15-5-0-0 at home this season. They are 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 118 goals and surrendered 111 for a goal differential of +7. Their record against the spread is 22-16-0 while their over/under record is 20-18-0.

Valuable New Jersey Devils Betting Trends

The New Jersey Devils are 22-14-0 straight up this year

The New Jersey Devils are 19-16-0 against the over/under this season

Important Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 22-16-0 straight up this year

The Washington Capitals are 20-18-0 against the over/under this season

Key New Jersey Devils Injuries

11/15/17 D Mirco Mueller Collarbone IR (11/12)

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

No key injuries to report

Player Spotlight

Cory Schneider has 17 wins and 6 losses this season in net for the Devils. He has 899 shots against him and he's given up 69 goals. He's made 830 saves for a save percentage of 92%. Jesper Bratt has accumulated 24 total points this season for the Devils. He has 10 goals this year with 56 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 18%. He has a total of 14 assists on the season and averages 16.2 minutes played per game. Nico Hischier averages 16.3 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 9% by scoring 7 goals on 81 shots. He has 16 assists, giving him a total of 23 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Alex Ovechkin has scored 37 total points this year for the Capitals. He has 23 goals this season with 169 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 14%. He has a total of 14 assists on the season and averages 19.4 minutes played per game. 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%. Nicklas Backstrom averages 19.5 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 10% by scoring 7 goals on 67 shots. He has 21 assists, giving him a total of 28 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Devils have allowed 128 power play opportunities and have given up 20 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84% this year. That is 3rd in the NHL. They average 30 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.57% for the season. They allow 33 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%, which is ranked 12th in the league. The Devils has 49 total points this season, ranking 4th in the NHL in offense. They are 8th in the league with 116 goals while they've given up 104 goals, which is 20th overall. They have had 110 power play opportunities and scored 23 goals on those chances for a percentage of 21%. That is 10th in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Capitals are 10th with 114 goals scored while they are 16th in the NHL with 108 goals allowed this year. They average 29 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 10.52%. They give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%, putting them in 13th place in the league. The Capitals have a total of 47 points this year, which is 9th in the NHL. They have 22 power play goals on 117 opportunities for a percentage of 19%. That ranks their power play unit 18th. They've allowed 131 power play opportunities and have given up 27 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 79%, which is 21st overall.

Advanced Statistics

New Jersey is 29th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 46.9%, as they've attempted 1,931 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,183 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 47.7% as they have 1,493 attempts while they have given up 1,640 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 24th in the league. The Devils start possessions in the offensive zone 46.3% of the time, which is 31st in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 53.7% for the season. That is 4th overall in the NHL. They have 1,077 face-off wins compared to 1,194 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 47.4%. That ranks them 29th in the league. On defense New Jersey has 778 hits and they have blocked 543 shots from the opposition, putting them 17th 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 13th respectively in the NHL. They have 1,161 face-off wins as opposed to 1,094 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.5%. That is 7th in the league. On defense Washington has 841 hits and they've blocked 551 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 13th in blocked shots. Washington is ranked 28th in Corsi percentage with 47.9% as they've tried 2,092 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 2,274 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage is 30th in the NHL at 47%, as they have 1,525 shots while they've given up 1,723 attempts on defense.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Washington -105

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