Washington Capitals at Ottawa Senators NHL Picks & Predictions 12/22/2018

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Canadian Tire Centre

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Washington Capitals travel to Canadian Tire Centre to play the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, December 22, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Capitals at -230 and the Senators at +170.

Washington has a record of 20-10-3 this season. They are 1st in the Metropolitan Division. They have scored 123 goals and given up 102 goals for a point differential of +21. For the season they have an ATS record of 20-13-0 and an over/under record of 19-12-0. Ottawa has a record of 15-16-4 this year. They are 7th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 116 goals and surrendered 135 for a goal differential of -19. Their record against the spread is 15-20-0 while their over/under record is 23-9-0.

Valuable Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 20-13-0 straight up this year

The Washington Capitals are 19-12-0 against the over/under this season

Important Ottawa Senators Betting Trends

The Ottawa Senators are 15-20-0 straight up this year

The Ottawa Senators are 23-9-0 against the over/under this season

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

12/14/18 D Christian Djoos Lower Body is out indefinitely
11/09/18 D Brooks Orpik Lower Body is out indefinitely

Key Ottawa Senators Injuries

12/20/18 D Dylan Demelo Upper Body is upgraded to questionable Friday vs New Jersey
12/20/18 C Matt Duchene Lower Body is upgraded to probable Friday vs New Jersey
10/04/18 RW Marian Gaborik Back is out indefinitely
10/01/18 C Jean-Gabriel Pageau Achilles is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Braden Holtby has 13 wins and 8 losses this season in net for the Capitals. He has 738 shots against him and he's given up 66 goals. He's made 672 saves for a save percentage of 91%. Alex Ovechkin has accumulated 43 total points this season for the Capitals. He has 29 goals this year with 134 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 22%. He has a total of 14 assists on the season and averages 21.3 minutes played per game. Nicklas Backstrom averages 20.5 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 16% by scoring 10 goals on 64 shots. He has 30 assists, giving him a total of 40 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Thomas Chabot has scored 36 total points this year for the Senators. He has 10 goals this season with 94 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 26 assists on the season and averages 24.4 minutes played per game. Craig Anderson has 14 wins and 12 losses this year in goal for the Senators. He has 1,070 shots against him and he's surrendered 99 goals. He's made 971 saves for a save percentage of 91%. Mark Stone averages 20.2 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 20% by scoring 16 goals on 82 shots. He has 23 assists, giving him a total of 39 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Capitals have allowed 121 power play opportunities and have given up 30 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 75% this year. That is 27th in the NHL. They average 30 shots per game and as a team shoot 12.49% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%, which is ranked 15th in the league. The Capitals have 43 total points this season, ranking 8th in the NHL in offense. They are 6th in the league with 123 goals while they've given up 102 goals, which is 21st overall. They have had 104 power play opportunities and scored 26 goals on those chances for a percentage of 25%. That is 6th in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Senators are 9th with 116 goals scored while they are 2nd in the NHL with 135 goals allowed this year. They average 29 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 11.43%. They give up 38 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%, putting them in 21st place in the league. The Senators have a total of 34 points this year, which is 23rd in the NHL. They have 24 power play goals on 109 opportunities for a percentage of 22%. That ranks their power play unit 12th. They've allowed 103 power play opportunities and have given up 27 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 74%, which is 30th overall.

Advanced Statistics

Washington is 20th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.2%, as they've attempted 1,894 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,958 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 49.3% as they have 1,412 attempts while they have given up 1,453 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 19th in the league. The Capitals start possessions in the offensive zone 49.6% of the time, which is 18th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 50.4% for the season. That is 14th overall in the NHL. They have 939 face-off wins compared to 1,023 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 47.9%. That ranks them 26th in the league. On defense Washington has 719 hits and they have blocked 505 shots from the opposition, putting them 13th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Senators are 31st in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 45.8% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 54.2% for the season, which is 1st in the NHL. They have 1,085 face-off wins compared to 1,098 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.7%. That is 19th in the league. On defense Ottawa has 716 hits and they have blocked 634 shots from the opposition, which is 1st in the league. Ottawa is 31st in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 42.7% as they've attempted 1,809 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,424 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 43.3% ranks 31st as they have 1,366 attempts while they have given up 1,790 shots on the defensive end.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Ottawa +170

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