Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals NHL Picks & Predictions 10/3/2018

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

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 Wednesday, October 3, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Bruins at +110 and the Capitals at -167.

Boston had a record of 50-20-12 last season and on the road they had a record of 22-12-7-3. They finished 2nd in the Atlantic Division. They scored 270 goals and gave up 214 goals for a point differential of +56. For the season they had an ATS record of 55-39-0 and an over/under record of 42-46-0. Washington finished with a record of 49-26-7 including 17-8-3-1 at home last season. They were 1st in the Metropolitan Division. They scored 259 goals and surrendered 239 for a goal differential of +20. Their record against the spread was 64-41-0 while their over/under record was 55-45-0.

Valuable Boston Bruins Betting Trends

The Boston Bruins were 55-39-0 straight up last year

The Boston Bruins were 42-46-0 against the over/under last season

Important Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals were 64-41-0 straight up last year

The Washington Capitals were 55-45-0 against the over/under last season

Key Boston Bruins Injuries

10/01/18 C Patrice Bergeron Back is probable Wednesday vs Washington
10/01/18 D Torey Krug Foot is out indefinitely

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

10/01/18 D Michal Kempny Upper Body is questionable Wednesday vs Boston

Player Spotlight

Brad Marchand accumulated 85 total points last season for the Bruins. He had 34 goals last year with 182 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 19%. He had a total of 51 assists on the season and averaged 19.7 minutes played per game. David Pastrnak averaged 18 minutes of ice time per game last year. In that time he had a shooting percentage of 14% by scoring 35 goals on 246 shots. He had 45 assists giving him a total of 80 points on the season. Tuukka Rask had 34 wins and 14 losses last season in net for the Bruins. He had 1,513 shots against him and he gave up 125 goals. He made 1,388 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

John Carlson scored 68 total points last year for the Capitals. He had 15 goals last season with 237 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 6%. He had a total of 53 assists on the season and averaged 24.8 minutes played per game. Nicklas Backstrom averaged 19.7 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he had a shooting percentage of 13% by scoring 21 goals on 165 shots. He had 50 assists giving him a total of 71 points on the season. Braden Holtby had 34 wins and 16 losses last year in goal for the Capitals. He had 1,648 shots against him and he surrendered 153 goals. He made 1,495 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Bruins had 112 total points last season, which ranked them 4th in the NHL. They were 6th in the league in goals scored with 270 while they gave up 214 goals, ranking them 29th overall. They had 258 power play opportunities and scored 61 goals on those chances for a percentage of 24%. That was 4th in the NHL. The Bruins allowed 245 power play opportunities and gave up 40 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%, putting them 3rd in the league when short-handed. They averaged 33 shots per game and as a team shot 9.99% for the season. They allowed 29 shots to their opposition per contest and had a team save percentage of 91%. That put them 9th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Capitals were 7th in the NHL with a total of 105 points last year. They had 55 power play goals on 244 opportunities for a percentage of 23%. That ranked them 7th in the league as a power play unit. They allowed 269 power play opportunities and gave up 53 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80%. That was 15th in the NHL. As a team, the Capitals were 9th in the league with 259 goals scored while they gave up 239 goals, which was 17th overall. They averaged 29 shots per contest and had a team shooting percentage of 10.89%. As a team they gave up 32 shots per game and had a save percentage of 91%. That was 13th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Boston was 2nd in the NHL in Corsi percentage last year with 52.7%, as they attempted 4,909 shots on net at full strength while they gave up 4,404 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage was 52.8% as they had 3,732 attempts while they gave up 3,332 shots on the defensive end. That ranked them 2nd in the league. The Bruins started possessions in the offensive zone 55.1% of the time, which was 3rd in the league, while their defensive zone percentage was at 44.9% for the season. That was 29th overall in the NHL. They had 2,577 face-off wins compared to 2,501 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage was 50.7%. That ranked them 10th in the league. On defense Boston had 1,914 hits and they blocked 1,072 shots from the opposition, putting them 30th overall.

Advanced Statistics

Washington was 27th in the league in Corsi percentage last season with 47.4%, as they tried 4,479 shots on net at full strength while giving up 4,980 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage was 47.3% as they had 3,381 attempts while they gave up 3,760 shots on the defensive end. That ranked them 28th in the NHL. The Capitals started possessions in the offensive zone 49.7% of the time, which was 20th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage was at 50.3% for the season. That was 13th overall in the NHL. They had 2,467 face-off wins compared to 2,427 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage was 50.4%. That ranked them 13th in the league. On defense Washington had 1,784 hits and they blocked 1,220 shots from the opposition, putting them 14th overall.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Washington -167

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink