Washington Capitals vs New York Islanders Prediction, 4/22/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Washington Capitals vs New York Islanders

Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021

Location: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY

TV: MSG+

Odds/Point Spread: Capitals (+100) Islanders (-120)

Semyon Varlamov and the New York Islanders (29-13-4) play the Washington Capitals (29-13-4) at Barclays Center on Thursday. The Capitals open this contest at +100 while the Islanders are priced at -120. The O/U opens at 5.5.

The Capitals were on the losing side of the ice with a 6-3 defeat against the Bruins in their previous contest. The Corsi for the Capitals was sitting at 36 and the Corsi against at the end of this game was 31 meaning they had a Corsi rate of 53.7%. When starting in the offensive zone they were rated at 47.8% and they had a PDO of 81.5 for this one. Washington recorded 14 penalty minutes in this matchup. The Capitals had an average offensive outing in the defeat. Their Fenwick came in at 28 and the Fenwick Against sat at 26, giving them a Fenwick percentage of 51.9%. They had 19 face-off victories at even strength and were beaten on 21 attempts to win the puck. They also had 6 opportunities with more players on the ice and notched 2 goals. For the game, they scored on 3 out of the 33 shots they launched.

The Capitals have had 1,353 shots taken against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .897. When at even strength, the Capitals have surrendered 116 goals while scoring 126 on offense. Washington Capitals opponents have amassed 139 power play opportunities (12th in pro hockey) and have come away with 23 goals in those attempts. For the current campaign, they sit with 62 points and their points % is .674. Washington has taken 1,318 shots and is the owner of a shot percentage of 12.2%. Concerning scoring goals, the Washington Capitals have accumulated 161 goals (1st in the league) so far this season and have given up 139. Washington has 127 power play chances and they have scored 35 goals out of those attempts, garnering them a rate of 27.56%.

The player protecting the goal in this game is Vitek Vanecek. Vanecek has played in 31 matchups throughout his pro hockey career. He has amassed an overall record of 17-9-3 and he started in 30 games. Opponents have tallied 81 goals against Vanecek in his pro career and his goals against rate is 2.77. Vanecek has seen 878 shots against him and has recorded 797 total saves. His save percentage is .908 for his 1,756 minutes guarding the cage. For his professional hockey career, Vanecek is sitting with 16 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .533.

The last time they were on the ice, New York squared up with the Rangers in a game where the Islanders ended up with the victory by a score of 6-1. They had a PDO at even strength of 116 and they finished the game with an oZS percentage of 47.6%. They had 3 attempts on the power play in this game and recorded 1 out of those attempts. They earned a Fenwick percentage of 51.7% by earning a Fenwick of 31 and the Rangers finishing with a 29 Fenwick. The Islanders earned 6 goals of the 28 shots on goal they pursued. New York had a 45.8% Corsi rate. This Corsi percentage speaks to the kind of game that New York had and it was a good performance overall.

New York has put up 1,341 shots (16th in the NHL) and has a shooting percentage of 9.62%, while allowing their opponents 1,288 shots. They have a penalty kill rate of 82.46% on their oppositions 114 tries on the power play, and their save percentage is currently 91.8%. They have recorded 126 opportunities on the power play and they have accumulated a power play rate of 17.46%. The Islanders have earned 107 goals at even strength and 22 goals (24th in the NHL) while having more men on the ice. They have allowed 105 goals to be scored by of a combination of 85 goals at even strength and 20 goals while they were shorthanded. On the season, the New York Islanders have 129 goals, 62 points, in addition to a points percentage of .674.

Across the ice you are going to see Semyon Varlamov in goal. Varlamov has earned a career mark of 249-192-59 and has been in goal for 523 contests. Varlamov's quality start rate comes out to 56.1% and he has earned 280 quality starts in his professional career. He has recorded 14,367 stops out of the 15,687 shots attempted against him, giving him a percentage of .916. Teams are averaging 2.64 goals per contest and he has relinquished 1,320 goals in total. He has made the start in 499 games and has played 29,964 mins.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Washington (+100)

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