New York Islanders vs. Washington Capitals - 12/31/19 NHL Picks, Odds, and Prediction

Game: New York Islanders vs Washington Capitals

Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Location: Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

TV: MSG+/NSWA

Odds/Point Spread: Islanders (+158) Capitals (-175)

Total/Over-Under: 5.5

Semyon Varlamov and the New York Islanders (24-10-3, 2nd in the Metropolitan Division) travel to Capital One Arena on Tuesday where they'll meet the Washington Capitals (27-8-5, 1st in the Metropolitan Division). The Capitals open this game at -175 while the Islanders are coming in at +158. The total has been set at 5.5. The Islanders are covering 61.8% of the time, having gone 21-13 SU. Washington is covering 64.9% of the time, going 24-13 straight up.

The New York Islanders head into this game holding a record of 24 victories and 10 defeats, which puts them at 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. So far this season, they have racked up a total of 107 goals which has them at 13th in the East and 24th in the league. Their goal differential is +11, which puts them at 10th in the league. The Islanders currently have a total of 51 points, which has them at 4th in the league and 3rd in the conference. in respect to shots on goal, they currently have a total of 1,063 which has them at 16th in the East and 31st in the league. As a group, New York currently has a total of 1,067 hits which has them averaging 28.8 per game. They currently have a total of 526 blocks for the season. In goal for New York is Semyon Varlamov from Kuybyshev, USSR. He is 31 years old and has played 1,250 minutes minding the goal for the season. Varlamov is surrendering 2.40 goals per contest which puts him at 6th in the East and 11th in the NHL. Over the course of this season, he has allowed 50 goals. His save percentage is .920 which puts him at 5th in the East.

Related: NHL Totals Betting: Expert Tips and Advice

The New York Islanders were on the winning side of the scoreboard with a 3 - 1 win over the Minnesota Wild in their last game. The Islanders had a middle of the road offensive output in this win. In their game, they finished 3 out of the 28 shots they put on net. They also had 2 power play chances but weren't able to score. New York earned 8 penalty minutes in this game. The Corsi for the Islanders sat at 42 and the Corsi against was 53 meaning they had a Corsi percentage of 44.2%. Their Fenwick sat at 29 and the Fenwick against was 37, which gave them a Fenwick percentage of 43.9%. They won 24 face-off wins at even strength and lost 19 attempts to control the puck. The offensive zone starts for them were rated at 44.1% and they had a PDO at even strength of 108.0 in this game. When it comes to their opponent, the Minnesota Wild earned a total of 26 shots. They ended the game with 6 penalty minutes and they earned 3 power play chances.

The Capitals will be on the other side of the ice and for the year they sit with 27 victories and 8 defeats. Regarding goal differential, they are ranked 3rd in the conference and 5th in the NHL with +24. They have a total of 140 goals for this season which puts them at 2nd in the Eastern Conference. Washington has a team save % of .904 which is good for 15th in the NHL, which means scoring chances could be there if they are opportunistic. They have a team shooting percentage of 11.0% which puts them at 1st in the Eastern Conference. In goal for Washington is Braden Holtby who is having a bad campaign by giving up 2.95 goals per game and that has him ranked 18th among East goaltenders and 37th in the NHL. In the 1,607 minutes he has been on the ice, he has surrendered 79 goals. He has a save percentage of .904, which ranks him 21st among East goaltenders and 41st in the NHL.

Related: How to Turn Hockey Bets into Big Profits

The Washington Capitals went up against the Carolina Hurricanes in a matchup where the Capitals ended up taking the loss by a final of 6 - 4. In this game, Washington had a 45.8% Corsi rating. They got there by having a Corsi of 38 while the opposition earned a Corsi of 45. Their Fenwick rate was 42.6% by way of having a Fenwick of 26 and the Hurricanes having earned a 35 Fenwick at even strength. These Corsi stats speak to the kind of game that Washington had and it tells us that they played really well in this game. Their PDO was 95.7 and they had an oZS percentage of 55.7%. The Capitals converted 4 goals of the 29 shots on goal they attempted. They had 5 power play chances in this one and netted 2 out of those tries. In discussing their opponent, the Hurricanes had 3 power play opportunities and used that advantage to score 1 goal. Washington gave up 29 shots on goal and the Hurricanes ended up with 10 penalty minutes.

Who will win tonight's NHL game ATS?

Guy's Pick: Take New York (+158)

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