Washington Capitals vs New Jersey Devils Predictions, NHL Expert Picks 2/22/2020

Game: Washington Capitals vs New Jersey Devils

Date: Saturday, February 22, 2020

Location: Prudential Center in Newark, NJ

TV: MSG+/NSWA

Odds/Point Spread: Capitals (-185) Devils (+166)

Total/Over-Under: 6.5

Braden Holtby and the Washington Capitals (37-17-6, 2nd in the Metropolitan Division) head to Prudential Center on Saturday where they'll take on the New Jersey Devils (23-27-10, 8th in the Metropolitan Division). The moneyline on this contest has the Capitals priced at -185 and the Devils are at +166. The total has been set at 6.5. The Capitals cover 59.7% of the time, having gone 34-23 SU. The Devils cover 33.9% of the time, going 19-37 straight up.

The Washington Capitals head into this game holding a record of 37 victories and 17 losses, which puts them at 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. So far this season, they have racked up a total of 208 goals which puts them at 4th in the East and 5th in the league. Their goal differential is +26, which puts them at 5th in the league. The Capitals have earned a total of 80 points, which puts them at 3rd in the league and 3rd in the East. In the matter of shots toward the net, they have earned a total of 1,923 which puts them at 7th in the East and 14th in the league. As a team, Washington has a total of 1,397 hits which means they have an average of 23.3 per game. They have earned a total of 648 blocks for this season. The man between the pipes for Washington is Braden Holtby from Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. He is 30 years old and has racked up 2,373 minutes minding the net this year. Holtby is surrendering an average of 3.14 goals per game which places him at 26th in the East and 56th among goalies in the NHL. Over the course of this year, he has surrendered 124 goals. His save percentage is .896 which places him at 29th in the East.

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The Washington Capitals will be looking to get a win in their next outing after their 3 - 2 loss against the Vegas Golden Knights their last time out. The Capitals left a lot to be desired in terms of their offense in this loss. In their game, they scored on 2 of the 27 shots they tried. Moreover, they had 3 power play attempts and were able to net 1 goal out of those tries. Washington earned 4 penalty mins in this outing. The Corsi for the Capitals sat at 55 and the Corsi against was 40 which tells us they had a Corsi percentage of 57.9%. Their Fenwick was 40 and the Fenwick against was 32, telling us they have a rate of 55.6%. They earned 18 face-off wins at even strength and lost 32 attempts to control the puck. Their starts in the offensive zone were rated at 48.5% and they had a PDO at even strength of 92.0 for this one. Concerning opponent stats, the Vegas Golden Knights earned a total of 29 shots. Their total at the end of the game was 6 penalty mins and they earned a total of 2 power play chances.

The Devils will be on the other side of the ice and for the season they have 23 victories and 27 losses. When it comes to goal differential, they currently sit 15th in the Eastern Conference and 29th in the league with -42. They currently have a total of 160 goals for the year which has them sitting at 14th in the conference. New Jersey has a team save percentage of .897 which is good for 26th in the league, meaning scoring chances could be plentiful if they attack the goal. They have a team shooting percentage of 8.6% ranking them 14th in the conference. In net for New Jersey is MacKenzie Blackwood who is having an average campaign by allowing 2.74 GAA and that ranks him 16th in the Eastern Conference and 27th among goaltenders in the NHL. In the 2,383 mins he's played this year, he's surrendered 109 goals. He holds a save % of .915, which ranks him 11th in the Eastern Conference and 23rd among goaltenders in the NHL.

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The New Jersey Devils played the St. Louis Blues in a matchup where the Devils took the loss by a score of 3 - 0. In this game, New Jersey went home with a 35.8% Corsi rating. They earned that percentage by having a Corsi of 29 and the other team having a Corsi of 52. Their Fenwick rate came in at 31.7% by earning a Fenwick of 19 and the Blues having a 41 Fenwick. This Corsi rating is telling of the kind of game that New Jersey played and you can safely assume that they'll look to improve in their next outing. Their PDO was 91.7 and they had an oZS percentage of 27.1%. The Devils scored 0 goals of the 17 shots on goal they took. They had 3 power play attempts in this one but weren't able to put one in the back of the net. On the other side of the ice, the Blues had 3 power play opportunities but didn't put the puck in goal. New Jersey gave up 39 shots on goal and the Blues earned a total of 8 penalty minutes.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Washington (-185)

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