Capitals vs Islanders Predictions, Picks, Tips 1/18/2020

Game: Washington Capitals vs New York Islanders

Date: Saturday, January 18, 2020

Location: Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY

TV: MSG+/NSWA

Odds/Point Spread: Capitals (-116) Islanders (+105)

Total/Over-Under: 5.5

Semyon Varlamov and the New York Islanders (28-13-4, 3rd in the Metropolitan Division) host the Washington Capitals (31-11-5, 1st in the Metropolitan Division) at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday, January 18, 2020. The Islanders open this matchup at +105 while the Capitals are coming in at -116. The total opens at 5.5. The Capitals are covering 64.4% of the time, having gone 29-16 SU. The Islanders are covering 58.1% of the time, going 25-18 straight up.

The Washington Capitals come into this matchup with a record of 31 victories and 11 losses, which puts them at 1st in the Metropolitan Division. So far this season, they have converted a total of 163 goals which ranks 4th in the Eastern Conference and 5th in the NHL. Their goal differential is +27, which puts them at 6th in the NHL. The Capitals have compiled a total of 67 pts, which ranks 2nd in the NHL and 1st in the East. When discussing shots on goal, they have compiled a total of 1,499 which ranks 8th in the East and 13th in the NHL. As a team, Washington has collected a total of 1,056 hits which has them averaging 22.5 per game. They have compiled a total of 520 blocks for the season. The goaltender for Washington is Braden Holtby from Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. He is 30 years old and has totaled 1,845 minutes minding the goal this season. Holtby is conceding an average of 3.02 GAA which has him ranked 21st among Eastern Conference goaltenders and 45th in the NHL among goaltenders. So far this season, he's surrendered 93 goals. He holds a save % of .899 which has him ranked 24th among Eastern Conference goaltenders.

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The Washington Capitals were on the winning side of the scoreboard with a 2 - 0 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes in their previous contest. The Capitals had a rough night on the offensive side of the ice in the win. For this game, they earned a goal on 2 out of the 30 shots they put on goal. Furthermore, they had 6 power play opportunities and were able to score 1 goal out of those tries. Washington racked up a total of 6 penalty mins in this matchup. The Corsi for the Capitals sat at 46 and the Corsi against was 34 meaning they had a Corsi percentage of 57.5%. Their Fenwick was 37 and the Fenwick against sat at 22, which gave them a Fenwick percentage of 62.7%. They earned 28 face-off wins at even strength and were beaten on 18 attempts to control the puck. Their offensive zone starts were rated at 48.4% and they had a PDO of 103.6 for this matchup. In discussing stats from the opponent, the Carolina Hurricanes put up 23 shots. They finished with 12 penalty mins and they tallied 3 power play chances.

The Islanders will be the team across the ice and for the season they have 28 victories and 13 defeats. When discussing goal differential, they are currently sitting 8th in the East and 12th in the NHL with +11. They have earned a total of 129 goals for this season which is 12th in the East. New York has a team save % of .917 which currently has them sitting 4th in the NHL, which means they are a tough group to score against. They are shooting 9.8% ranking them 10th in the East. In goal for New York is Semyon Varlamov who is having an average season by surrendering 2.48 goals per game and that has him ranked 5th among Eastern Conference goalies and 10th among goalies in the NHL. In the 1,598 mins he's played this year, he's surrendered 66 goals. He holds a save percentage of .919, which ranks him 7th among Eastern Conference goalies and 15th among goalies in the NHL.

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The New York Islanders faced off against the Detroit Red Wings in a matchup where the Islanders notched a victory by a final of 8 - 2. In this game, New York went home with a 36.4% Corsi rating. They earned that percentage by having a Corsi of 32 while their opponent earned a Corsi of 56. Their Fenwick percentage came in at 37.5% with a Fenwick of 27 and the Red Wings having earned a 45 Fenwick at even strength. This Corsi rating tells us the kind of game New York played and they showed up in this game. They had a PDO at even strength of 127.3 and their percentage of oZS was 44.4%. The Islanders converted 8 goals of the 26 shots on goal they were seeking. They had 1 power play attempt in this outing but didn't score a goal. Concerning their opponent, the Red Wings had 2 power play attempts but didn't tally a goal. New York gave way to 36 shots on goal and the Red Wings racked up a total of 4 penalty minutes.

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

Guy's Pick: Take New York (+105)

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