Washington Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs Expert NHL Picks 1/23/2019

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Scotiabank Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Washington Capitals head to Scotiabank Arena to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday, January 23, 2019. The opening line for this contest has the Capitals at +115 and the Maple Leafs at -140.

Washington has a record of 27-16-5 this year. They are 3rd in the Metropolitan Division. They've tallied 162 goals and surrendered 149 goals for a point differential of +13. For the year they have an ATS mark of 27-21-0 and an over/under record of 24-21-0. Toronto has a record of 29-17-2 this season. They are 2nd in the Atlantic Division. They have scored 168 goals and given up 137 for a goal differential of +31. Their record against the spread is 29-19-0 while their over/under mark is 21-23-0.

Valuable Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 27-21-0 straight up this year

The Washington Capitals are 24-21-0 against the over/under this season

Important Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Trends

The Toronto Maple Leafs are 29-19-0 straight up this year

The Toronto Maple Leafs are 21-23-0 against the over/under this season

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

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

Key Toronto Maple Leafs Injuries

12/23/18 LW Tyler Ennis Ankle is out indefinitely
01/21/19 LW Andreas Johnsson Concussion is out indefinitely
01/21/19 D Jake Gardiner Back is questionable Wednesday vs Washington

Player Spotlight

Nicklas Backstrom has scored 47 total points this year for the Capitals. He has 12 goals this season with 98 shots on net, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 35 assists on the year and averages 20.1 minutes played per contest. Alex Ovechkin averages 21.1 minutes of ice time per game this season. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 18% by tallying 33 goals on 188 attempts. He has 19 assists, giving him a total of 52 points on the year. Braden Holtby has 17 wins and 11 losses this season in goal for the Capitals. He has 993 shots against him and he's surrendered 90 goals. He's made 903 stops for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Mitch Marner has 61 total points this season for the Maple Leafs. He has 19 goals this year with 134 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 14%. He has a total of 42 assists on the year and averages 19.7 minutes played per contest. Morgan Rielly averages 22.6 minutes of ice time per contest. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 10% by scoring 13 goals on 126 attempts. He has 35 assists, giving him a total of 48 points on the year. Frederik Andersen has 21 wins and 11 losses this season in net for the Maple Leafs. He has 1,069 shots against him and he's given up 83 goals. He's made 986 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Capitals have 59 total points this year, which is 11th in the NHL. They've scored 162 goals while giving up 149 scores, which has them ranked 8th and 13th respectively. They have had 143 power play chances and scored 30 goals on those opportunities for a percentage of 21%. That is 11th in the league. The Capitals have given up 169 power play opportunities and surrendered 37 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%, ranking them 23rd when short-handed. They average 29 shots per contest and as a team shoot 11.45% for the year. They allow 32 shot attempts to their opposition per game and have a team save percentage of 90%, which is 15th in the league.

Useful Team Statistics

The Maple Leafs are 8th in the league with a total of 60 points this season. They have 26 power play goals on 121 chances for a percentage of 21%. That is 10th in the NHL. They've given up 126 power play opportunities and surrendered 23 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82%, ranking 10th overall. As a team, the Maple Leafs are 5th with a total of 168 goals scored while they've given up 137 goals this season, ranking 26th in goals against. They average 31 shots per game and have a team shooting percentage of 11.19%. As a unit they give up 32 shots per contest and have a save percentage of 91%, putting them 7th overall in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Washington is 23rd in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.5%, as they've attempted 2,711 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,879 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 48.8% as they have 2,041 attempts while they have given up 2,139 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 21st in the league. The Capitals start possessions in the offensive zone 49.8% of the time, which is 19th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 50.2% for the season. That is 13th overall in the NHL. They have 1,312 face-off wins compared to 1,516 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 46.4%. That ranks them 31st in the league. On defense Washington has 1,086 hits and they have blocked 740 shots from the opposition, putting them 8th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Maple Leafs are 18th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 50.4% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 49.6% for the season, which is 15th in the NHL. They have 1,548 face-off wins compared to 1,398 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 52.5%. That is 2nd in the league. On defense Toronto has 813 hits and they have blocked 651 shots from the opposition, which is 24th in the league. Toronto is 9th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.2% as they've attempted 3,031 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,892 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 50% ranks 17th as they have 2,243 attempts while they have given up 2,241 shots on the defensive end.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Washington +115

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 Josh Schonwald