Colorado Avalanche at Washington Capitals Expert NHL Picks Against the Spread 2/7/2019

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Capital One Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Colorado Avalanche travel to Capital One Arena to play the Washington Capitals on Thursday, February 7, 2019. The opening line for this game has the Avalanche at +160 and the Capitals at -195.

Colorado has a record of 22-22-8 this season. They are 6th in the Central Division. They've scored 173 goals and given up 173 goals for a point differential of 0. For the season they have an ATS record of 22-29-0 and an over/under record of 27-23-0. Washington is 29-18-6 this season. They are 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. They have scored 178 goals and surrendered 168 for a goal differential of +10. Their record against the spread is 28-24-0 while their over/under record is 27-22-0.

Valuable Colorado Avalanche Betting Trends

The Colorado Avalanche are 22-29-0 straight up this year

The Colorado Avalanche are 27-23-0 against the over/under this season

Important Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 28-24-0 straight up this year

The Washington Capitals are 27-22-0 against the over/under this season

Key Colorado Avalanche Injuries

12/11/18 C Vladislav Kamenev Shoulder is out indefinitely
10/04/18 D Conor Timmins Concussion is out indefinitely
01/21/19 D Erik Johnson Upper Body is out indefinitely

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

12/14/18 D Christian Djoos Lower Body is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Mikko Rantanen has accumulated 74 total points this season for the Avalanche. He has 23 goals this year with 134 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 17%. He has a total of 51 assists on the season and averages 21.1 minutes played per game. Nathan MacKinnon averages 22 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 12% by scoring 27 goals on 223 shots. He has 45 assists, giving him a total of 72 points on the season. Semyon Varlamov has 13 wins and 13 losses this season in net for the Avalanche. He has 937 shots against him and he's given up 89 goals. He's made 848 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Nicklas Backstrom has scored 53 total points this year for the Capitals. He has 13 goals this season with 111 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 40 assists on the season and averages 20.1 minutes played per game. Alex Ovechkin averages 21 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 18% by scoring 37 goals on 202 shots. He has 21 assists, giving him a total of 58 points on the season. Braden Holtby has 19 wins and 13 losses this year in goal for the Capitals. He has 1,173 shots against him and he's surrendered 108 goals. He's made 1,065 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Avalanche have 52 total points this season, which ranks them 22nd in the NHL. They are 8th in the league in goals scored with 173 while they've given up 173 goals, ranking them 9th overall. They have had 194 power play opportunities and have scored 47 goals on those chances for a percentage of 24%. That is 6th in the NHL. The Avalanche have allowed 180 power play opportunities and have given up 43 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 76%, putting them 28th in the league when short-handed. They average 32 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.29% for the season. They allow 31 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 89%. That puts them 27th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Capitals are 10th in the NHL with a total of 64 points this year. They have 33 power play goals on 155 opportunities for a percentage of 21%. That ranks them 12th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 183 power play opportunities and have given up 40 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%. That is 24th in the NHL. As a team, the Capitals are 7th in the league with 178 goals scored while they've given up 168 goals, which is 12th overall. They average 30 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 11.17%. As a team they give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%. That is 16th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Colorado is 14th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 50.4%, as they've attempted 3,039 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,994 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 50.6% as they have 2,254 attempts while they have given up 2,198 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 13th in the league. The Avalanche start possessions in the offensive zone 54.7% of the time, which is 5th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 45.3% for the season. That is 27th overall in the NHL. They have 1,519 face-off wins compared to 1,615 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.5%. That ranks them 25th in the league. On defense Colorado has 1,034 hits and they have blocked 796 shots from the opposition, putting them 10th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Capitals are 18th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 50.5% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 49.5% for the season, which is 14th in the NHL. They have 1,443 face-off wins compared to 1,687 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 46.1%. That is 31st in the league. On defense Washington has 1,238 hits and they have blocked 827 shots from the opposition, which is 2nd in the league. Washington is 23rd in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.5% as they've attempted 3,027 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,218 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 48.9% ranks 21st as they have 2,289 attempts while they have given up 2,391 shots on the defensive end.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Washington -195

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