Washington Capitals vs Edmonton Oilers Expert NHL Picks Against the Spread 10/24/2019

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Rogers Place

Braden Holtby and the Washington Capitals (7-2-2, 1st in the Metropolitan Division) go to Rogers Place on Thursday where they'll take on the Edmonton Oilers (7-2-1, 1st in the Pacific Division). The line on this contest has the Capitals coming in at -115 and the Oilers are at +104. The O/U opens at 6. The Capitals cover 63.6% of the time, having gone 7-4 SU. The Oilers cover 66.7% of the time, going 6-3 straight up.

The Washington Capitals head into this matchup holding a record of 7 victories and 2 defeats, putting them at 1st in the Metropolitan Division. During the season thus far, they have earned a total of 41 goals which ranks 1st in the East and 1st in the league. Their goal differential is +7, putting them at 6th in the league. The Capitals currently have a total of 16 points, which ranks 2nd in the league and 2nd in the Eastern Conference. In the matter of shots on goal, they currently have a total of 337 which ranks 2nd in the East and 6th in the league. As a group, Washington currently has a total of 191 hits which has them averaging 17.4 per game. They currently have a total of 115 blocks for the year. The man in the crease for Washington is Braden Holtby from Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. He is 30 years old and has played 433 mins protecting the net for the year. Holtby is conceding 3.60 GAA which places him at 22nd in the Eastern Conference and 40th in the NHL. For the season, he's allowed 26 goals. He's earned a save percentage of .884 which places him at 24th in the Eastern Conference.

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The Washington Capitals were on the right side of the scoreboard with a 5 - 3 victory against the Calgary Flames the last time they stepped on the ice. The Capitals played really well in the victory. While out there on the ice, they converted 5 out of the 30 shots they attempted. In addition, they had 3 power play chances but weren't able to score. Washington racked up a total of 8 penalty minutes for this outing. The Corsi for the Capitals sat at 35 and the Corsi against was 40 telling us they have a Corsi percentage of 46.7%. Their Fenwick was 28 and the Fenwick against was 33, which means they earned a Fenwick percentage of 45.9%. They earned 21 face-off wins at even strength and lost 19 of the face-offs. The offensive zone starts for them were rated at 32.0% and they had a PDO at even strength of 116.7 for this matchup. When it comes to their opponent, the Calgary Flames earned 35 shots. They finished with a total of 6 minutes in the box and they notched 4 power play attempts.

The Oilers will be the team across the ice and for the campaign they have 7 wins and 2 losses. When looking at goal differential, they sit 5th in the Western Conference and 9th in the league with +7. They have earned a total of 30 goals for this season which has them ranked at 4th in the Western Conference. Edmonton has a save % as a team of .926 which has them ranked 5th in the league, meaning scoring chances may be limited. They have a team shooting percentage of 11.2% putting them at 3rd in the Western Conference. In goal for Edmonton is Mike Smith who is having an average season by surrendering 2.15 goals per contest and that has him ranked 4th among West goaltenders and 6th in the NHL. In the 364 minutes he's played, he's given up 13 goals. He has a save percentage of .925, which has him ranked 8th among West goaltenders and 13th in the NHL.

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The Edmonton Oilers squared up with the Minnesota Wild in a game where the Oilers were on the wrong end of the score by a score of 3 - 0. In this game, Edmonton wound up with a 36.8% Corsi rating. They earned that percentage by having a Corsi of 28 while the opposition earned a Corsi of 48. Their Fenwick percentage was 39.6% by notching a Fenwick of 21 and the Wild earning a 32 Fenwick at even strength. These Corsi stats tell us the story of the kind of game Edmonton had and it could be said that this team has had better games. They had a PDO at even strength of 91.3 and they had an oZS percentage of 55.6%. The Oilers netted 0 goals of the 25 shots on goal they were seeking. They had 2 power play opportunities in this game but weren't able to notch a goal. In discussing their opponent, the Wild had 3 power play attempts and came through by scoring 1 goal on that try. Edmonton gave way to 30 shots on goal and the Wild earned a total of 6 penalty minutes.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Washington (-115)

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