Washington Capitals at Dallas Stars NHL Picks & Predictions 12/19/2017

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

American Airlines Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Washington Capitals travel to American Airlines Center to play the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, December 19, 2017. The opening line for this game has the Capitals at +104 and the Stars at -115.

Washington has a record of 21-12-1 this season and on the road they have a record of 7-7-1. They are 1st in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 108 goals and given up 98 goals for a point differential of +10. For the season they have an ATS record of 21-13-0 and an over/under record of 19-15-0. Dallas has a record of 18-14-2 including 10-4-0 at home this season. They are 5th in the Central Division. They've scored 99 goals and surrendered 99 for a goal differential of 0. Their record against the spread is 18-16-0 while their over/under record is 18-15-0.

Valuable Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 21-13-0 straight up this year

The Washington Capitals are 19-15-0 against the over/under this season

Important Dallas Stars Betting Trends

The Dallas Stars are 18-16-0 straight up this year

The Dallas Stars are 18-15-0 against the over/under this season

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

12/16/17 RW T.J. Oshie Upper Body is "?" Tuesday vs Dallas

Key Dallas Stars Injuries

11/12/17 D Marc Methot Knee IR (11/08)

Player Spotlight

Braden Holtby has 19 wins and 7 losses this season in net for the Capitals. He has 799 shots against him and he's given up 65 goals. He's made 734 saves for a save percentage of 92%. Alex Ovechkin has accumulated 37 total points this season for the Capitals. He has 23 goals this year with 156 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 15%. He has a total of 14 assists on the season and averages 19.2 minutes played per game. Nicklas Backstrom averages 19.5 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 12% by scoring 7 goals on 60 shots. He has 20 assists, giving him a total of 27 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Jamie Benn has scored 29 total points this year for the Stars. He has 13 goals this season with 104 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 13%. He has a total of 16 assists on the season and averages 19.6 minutes played per game. Ben Bishop has 13 wins and 9 losses this year in goal for the Stars. He has 698 shots against him and he's surrendered 63 goals. He's made 635 saves for a save percentage of 91%. Tyler Seguin averages 20.3 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 10% by scoring 14 goals on 144 shots. He has 15 assists, giving him a total of 29 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Capitals have allowed 120 power play opportunities and have given up 25 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 79% this year. That is 24th in the NHL. They average 29 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.99% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%, which is ranked 15th in the league. The Capitals has 43 total points this season, ranking 6th in the NHL in offense. They are 8th in the league with 108 goals while they've given up 98 goals, which is 15th overall. They have had 106 power play opportunities and scored 22 goals on those chances for a percentage of 21%. That is 7th in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Stars are 14th with 99 goals scored while they are 13th in the NHL with 99 goals allowed this year. They average 32 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.06%. They give up 30 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%, putting them in 21st place in the league. The Stars have a total of 38 points this year, which is 14th in the NHL. They have 19 power play goals on 101 opportunities for a percentage of 19%. That ranks their power play unit 16th. They've allowed 123 power play opportunities and have given up 24 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80%, which is 19th overall.

Advanced Statistics

Washington is 28th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 47.7%, as they've attempted 1,861 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,039 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 47.1% as they have 1,372 attempts while they have given up 1,544 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 30th in the league. The Capitals start possessions in the offensive zone 49.2% of the time, which is 23rd in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 50.8% for the season. That is 10th overall in the NHL. They have 1,059 face-off wins compared to 985 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.8%. That ranks them 8th in the league. On defense Washington has 744 hits and they have blocked 495 shots from the opposition, putting them 11th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Stars are 21st in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 49.2% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 50.8% for the season, which is 8th in the NHL. They have 1,127 face-off wins compared to 1,043 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.9%. That is 7th in the league. On defense Dallas has 701 hits and they have blocked 471 shots from the opposition, which is 22nd in the league. Dallas is 8th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.9% as they've attempted 1,977 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,830 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 51.8% ranks 9th as they have 1,463 attempts while they have given up 1,359 shots on the defensive end.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Dallas -115

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