Washington Capitals vs Boston Bruins Prediction, 5/21/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Washington Capitals vs Boston Bruins

Date: Friday, May 21, 2021

Location: TD Garden in Boston, MA

TV: NBCSN

Odds/Point Spread: Capitals (+132) Bruins (-164)

Vitek Vanecek and the Washington Capitals (36-15-5) are headed to TD Garden on Friday where they'll take on the Boston Bruins (33-16-7) in Game 4 of their series. Boston leads the series 2-1. The odds on this matchup have the Capitals priced at +132 and the Bruins are at -164. The O/U opens at 5.5.

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The Capitals were on the wrong end of the scoreboard with a 3-2 loss against the Bruins in Game 3. Their offensive zone starts came in at 55.3% and they had a PDO at even strength of 96.8 in this game. They compiled 34 face-off wins when at even strength and were beaten on 35 opportunities to win the puck. Their Fenwick came in at 44 and the Fenwick against finished at 46, giving them a Fenwick rate of 48.9%. The Corsi for the Capitals came in at 56 and the Corsi against when this game finished was 63 which had their Corsi percentage coming in at 47.1%. Washington tallied 10 penalty mins for this game. In addition, they had 5 chances with extra men on the ice and were able to score 1 goal. The Capitals offense left a lot to be desired in the defeat. For the game, they tallied a score on 2 of the 37 shots they tried.

Washington Capitals opponents have tallied 162 power play tries (17th in professional hockey) and have notched 26 goals in those chances. The Capitals have had 1,612 shots attempted against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .900. Washington has tried 1,647 shots and has a shot percentage of 11.4%. While at even strength, the Capitals have allowed 135 goals while scoring 150 on the offensive side of the ice. Washington has accumulated 153 power play opportunities and they have tallied 38 goals during those advantages, giving them a rate of 24.84%. For the year, they have 77 points and their points percentage is .688. Regarding their goal scoring prowess, the Washington Capitals have earned 188 goals (5th in the National Hockey League) for the season and have allowed 161.

The player protecting the goal in this game is Vitek Vanecek. Throughout his time in hockey, Vanecek has recorded 18 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .500. His save percentage sits at .908 for his 2,115 mins guarding the cage. Vanecek has seen 1,031 shots against him and has gathered 936 total saves. The opposition has racked up 95 goals against Vanecek in his career and his goals against average per game is 2.69. He has amassed a win-loss record of 21-10-4 and he started in 36 games. Vanecek has played in 37 games throughout his hockey career.

In Game 3 Boston had a PDO at even strength of 103 and their oZS percentage was 44.7%. They had 5 opportunities on the power play in this outing and scored 1 out of those chances. Their Fenwick rate came in at 51.1% by amassing a Fenwick of 46 and the Capitals earning a 44 Fenwick. The Bruins scored 3 goals of the 43 shots on goal they pursued. Boston had a 52.9% Corsi rating. These Corsi stats tell us the story of the kind of game Boston played and you could say that they didn't play great, but weren't awful either.

The Bruins have scored 129 goals at even strength and 35 goals (14th in professional hockey) while having a power play advantage. Boston has put up 1,866 shots (3rd in hockey) and has earned a shooting percentage of 8.79%, while allowing the opposition 1,516 shots. On the year, the Boston Bruins have notched a total of 164 goals, 73 points, and a points percentage of .652. They have a total of 160 power play chances and they have earned a power play rate of 21.88%. They have accumulated a penalty kill percentage of 85.96% on their opponents 178 power play chances, and their save percentage comes in at 91.2%. They have permitted 134 goals to be scored by way of 109 goals at even strength and 25 goals while they were shorthanded.

On the other side of the ice you are likely to see Tuukka Rask defending the net. He has accrued 14,269 stops out of the 15,485 shots tried, giving him a rate of .921. Rask has amassed a career record of 306-163-66 and has participated in 560 games. He has made the start in 539 games and has been on the ice for 32,206 mins. Rask's quality start rate comes out to 61.0% and he has 329 quality starts in his pro hockey career. His opposition is averaging 2.27 goals per game and he has conceded 1,216 goals overall.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Washington (+132)

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