New Jersey Devils at Washington Capitals Expert NHL Picks 3/8/2019

Friday, March 8, 2019

Capital One Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The New Jersey Devils head to Capital One Arena to take on the Washington Capitals on Friday, March 8, 2019. The opening line for this contest has the Devils at +220 and the Capitals at -275.

New Jersey has a record of 25-33-9 this year. They are 8th in the Metropolitan Division. They've tallied 188 goals and surrendered 221 goals for a point differential of -33. For the year they have an ATS mark of 25-42-0 and an over/under record of 35-30-0. Washington has a record of 39-21-7 this season. They are 1st in the Metropolitan Division. They have scored 227 goals and given up 210 for a goal differential of +17. Their record against the spread is 39-28-0 while their over/under mark is 35-29-0.

Valuable New Jersey Devils Betting Trends

The New Jersey Devils are 25-42-0 straight up this year

The New Jersey Devils are 35-30-0 against the over/under this season

Important Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 39-28-0 straight up this year

The Washington Capitals are 35-29-0 against the over/under this season

Key New Jersey Devils Injuries

03/06/19 C Nico Hischier Upper Body is questionable Friday vs Washington
03/02/19 D Mirco Mueller Upper Body is out indefinitely
02/28/19 RW Kyle Palmieri Lower Body is out indefinitely
02/28/19 LW Miles Wood Ankle is out indefinitely
01/14/19 RW Stefan Noesen Lower Body is out indefinitely
01/01/19 LW Taylor Hall Lower Body IR (01/01)

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

No key injuries to report

Player Spotlight

Damon Severson has scored 33 total points this year for the Devils. He has 9 goals this season with 111 shots on net, giving him a shooting percentage of 8%. He has a total of 24 assists on the year and averages 21.7 minutes played per contest. Travis Zajac averages 19.4 minutes of ice time per game this season. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 15% by tallying 15 goals on 103 attempts. He has 23 assists, giving him a total of 38 points on the year. Cory Schneider has 4 wins and 9 losses this season in goal for the Devils. He has 482 shots against him and he's surrendered 51 goals. He's made 431 stops for a save percentage of 89%.

Player Spotlight

Alex Ovechkin has 77 total points this season for the Capitals. He has 46 goals this year with 267 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 17%. He has a total of 31 assists on the year and averages 20.8 minutes played per contest. Nicklas Backstrom averages 20 minutes of ice time per contest. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 11% by scoring 16 goals on 145 attempts. He has 47 assists, giving him a total of 63 points on the year. Braden Holtby has 25 wins and 16 losses this season in net for the Capitals. He has 1,477 shots against him and he's given up 135 goals. He's made 1,342 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Devils have 59 total points this year, which is 28th in the NHL. They've scored 188 goals while giving up 221 scores, which has them ranked 20th and 6th respectively. They have had 208 power play chances and scored 37 goals on those opportunities for a percentage of 18%. That is 19th in the league. The Devils have given up 212 power play opportunities and surrendered 35 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 83%, ranking them 4th when short-handed. They average 31 shots per contest and as a team shoot 9.10% for the year. They allow 31 shot attempts to their opposition per game and have a team save percentage of 90%, which is 28th in the league.

Useful Team Statistics

The Capitals are 6th in the league with a total of 85 points this season. They have 43 power play goals on 195 chances for a percentage of 22%. That is 9th in the NHL. They've given up 220 power play opportunities and surrendered 47 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 79%, ranking 23rd overall. As a team, the Capitals are 6th with a total of 227 goals scored while they've given up 210 goals this season, ranking 9th in goals against. They average 30 shots per game and have a team shooting percentage of 11.20%. As a unit they give up 32 shots per contest and have a save percentage of 90%, putting them 18th overall in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

New Jersey is 24th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.1%, as they've attempted 3,598 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,888 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 49% as they have 2,818 attempts while they have given up 2,938 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 20th in the league. The Devils start possessions in the offensive zone 45.7% of the time, which is 31st in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 54.3% for the season. That is 1st overall in the NHL. They have 1,989 face-off wins compared to 2,064 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.1%. That ranks them 21st in the league. On defense New Jersey has 1,522 hits and they have blocked 950 shots from the opposition, putting them 16th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Capitals are 18th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 50.7% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 49.3% for the season, which is 15th in the NHL. They have 1,777 face-off wins compared to 2,108 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 45.7%. That is 31st in the league. On defense Washington has 1,528 hits and they have blocked 1,037 shots from the opposition, which is 6th in the league. Washington is 21st in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.7% as they've attempted 3,853 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 4,063 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 49% ranks 19th as they have 2,906 attempts while they have given up 3,026 shots on the defensive end.

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

Josh's Pick: Take New Jersey +220

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