Washington Capitals at St. Louis Blues NHL Picks & Predictions 10/1/2017

Sunday, October 1, 2017

Scottrade Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Washington Capitals travel to Scottrade Center to play the St. Louis Blues on Sunday, October 1, 2017. The opening line for this game has the Capitals at +105 and the Blues at -125.

Washington had a record of 55-19-8 last season and on the road they had a record of 23-12-6. They finished 1st in the Metropolitan Division. They scored 263 goals and gave up 182 goals for a point differential of +81. For the season they had an ATS record of 62-33-0 and an over/under record of 43-38-0. St. Louis finished with a record of 46-29-7 including 24-12-5 at home last season. They were 3rd in the Central Division. They scored 235 goals and surrendered 218 for a goal differential of +17. Their record against the spread was 52-41-0 while their over/under record was 37-43-0.

Valuable Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals were 62-33-0 straight up last year

The Washington Capitals were 43-38-0 against the over/under last season

Important St. Louis Blues Betting Trends

The St. Louis Blues were 52-41-0 straight up last year

The St. Louis Blues were 37-43-0 against the over/under last season

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

No key injuries to report

Key St. Louis Blues Injuries

9/27/2017 Robby Fabbri C Knee
9/20/2017 Alexander Steen LW Hand
9/19/2017 Jay Bouwmeester D Ankle
9/19/2017 Zach Sanford LW Shoulder
8/19/2017 Luke Opilka G Hip
6/28/2017 Patrik Berglund C Shoulder

Player Spotlight

Nicklas Backstrom accumulated 85 total points last season for the Capitals. He had 23 goals last year with 160 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 14%. He had a total of 62 assists on the season and averaged 18.3 minutes played per game. Alex Ovechkin averaged 18.4 minutes of ice time per game last year. In that time he had a shooting percentage of 11% by scoring 33 goals on 305 shots. He had 35 assists giving him a total of 68 points on the season. Braden Holtby had 42 wins and 13 losses last season in net for the Capitals. He had 1,690 shots against him and he gave up 127 goals. He made 1,563 saves for a save percentage of 93%.

Player Spotlight

Brayden Schenn scored 54 total points last year for the Blues. He had 25 goals last season with 174 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 14%. He had a total of 29 assists on the season and averaged 17.9 minutes played per game. Vladimir Tarasenko averaged 18.5 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he had a shooting percentage of 14% by scoring 38 goals on 275 shots. He had 34 assists giving him a total of 72 points on the season. Jake Allen had 33 wins and 20 losses last year in goal for the Blues. He had 1,620 shots against him and he surrendered 138 goals. He made 1,482 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Capitals had 118 total points last season, which ranked them 1st in the NHL. They were 3rd in the league in goals scored with 263 while they gave up 182 goals, ranking them 30th overall. They had 248 power play opportunities and scored 57 goals on those chances for a percentage of 23%. That was 4th in the NHL. The Capitals allowed 272 power play opportunities and gave up 44 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%, putting them 7th in the league when short-handed. They averaged 30 shots per game and as a team shot 10.54% for the season. They allowed 28 shots to their opposition per contest and had a team save percentage of 92%. That put them 2nd in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Blues were 11th in the NHL with a total of 99 points last year. They had 50 power play goals on 235 opportunities for a percentage of 21%. That ranked them 8th in the league as a power play unit. They allowed 263 power play opportunities and gave up 40 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 85%. That was 3rd in the NHL. As a team, the Blues were 12th in the league with 235 goals scored while they gave up 218 goals, which was 19th overall. They averaged 28 shots per contest and had a team shooting percentage of 10.09%. As a team they gave up 28 shots per game and had a save percentage of 91%. That was 20th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Washington was 10th in the NHL in Corsi percentage last year with 51.4%, as they attempted 4,635 shots on net at full strength while they gave up 4,377 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage was 51.6% as they had 3,487 attempts while they gave up 3,275 shots on the defensive end. That ranked them 6th in the league. The Capitals started possessions in the offensive zone 52% of the time, which was 12th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage was at 48% for the season. That was 22nd overall in the NHL. They had 2,385 face-off wins compared to 2,400 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage was 49.8%. That ranked them 17th in the league. On defense Washington had 1,727 hits and they blocked 1,102 shots from the opposition, putting them 21st overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Blues started possessions in the offensive zone 48.8% of the time while their defensive zone percentage was at 51.2% for the year. That ranked them 27th and 10th respectively in the NHL. They had 2,438 face-off wins as opposed to 2,411 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage was 50.3%. That was 15th in the league. On defense St. Louis had 1,688 hits and they blocked 1,135 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 17th in blocked shots. St. Louis was ranked 19th in Corsi percentage with 49.5% as they tried 4,271 shots on goal while at full strength while they surrendered 4,364 shots on net when they had a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage was 19th in the NHL at 49.8%, as they had 3,207 shots while they gave up 3,229 attempts on defense.

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

Tony's Pick: Take St. Louis -125

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