New York Islanders vs Washington Capitals Prediction, 12/20/2023 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New York Islanders vs Washington Capitals

Date: Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Location: Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

TV: Monumental Sports Network

Odds/Point Spread: Islanders (-105) Capitals (-115)

The Washington Capitals (15-9-4) will try to defeat the New York Islanders (14-8-8) at Capital One Arena on Wednesday. The moneyline on this game has the Islanders at -105 and the Capitals are coming in at -115. The total is set at 7.

The New York Islanders will look for better times on the ice after their 5-3 loss against the Canadiens their last time out. New York earned 4 minutes in the box in this contest. The Islanders had a middle of the road offensive output in the defeat. They also had 1 attempt on the power play but didn't convert it into a score. In the game, they scored on 3 out of the 33 shots they tried.

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In relation to their scoring, the New York Islanders have racked up 93 goals (17th in the NHL) on the season and have given up 97. For the season, the have a total of 36 points and their points percentage comes in at .600. New York has tallied 83 power play opportunities and they have added 21 goals out of those tries, giving them a percentage of 25.30%. While playing at even strength, the Islanders have allowed the opponent to score 71 goals while notching 72 of their own. New York has attempted 911 shots and holds a shot percentage of 10.2%. The Islanders have seen 1,071 shots taken against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .909. New York Islanders opponents have 89 power play tries (27th in pro hockey) and have a total of 26 goals in those chances.

The man protecting the goal in this game is Ilya Sorokin. In his professional hockey career, Sorokin has recorded 105 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .691. His save percentage is at .922 during his 9,094 mins played. Sorokin has had 4,739 shot attempts against him and has accrued 4,369 total saves. Opponents have scored 370 goals versus Sorokin in his pro hockey career and his goals against rate is 2.44. He has earned a win-loss record of 78-50-25 and was named the starter in 152 games. Sorokin has played in 155 matchups during his professional hockey career.

In their last outing, Washington faced off against the Hurricanes in a matchup where the Capitals got the tie by a final of 1-1. The Capitals earned 1 goal out of the 21 shots on goal they took. They had 2 opportunities on the power play in this game but didn't put one in the back of the net.

Washington has taken 770 shots (32nd in pro hockey) and has earned a shot percentage of 8.70%, while allowing the other team 864 shots. They have recorded a penalty kill percentage of 81.52% on the other teams 92 power play tries, and their save percentage is 91.0%. They have a tally of 82 opportunities on the power play and they have accumulated a power play rate of 9.76%. The Capitals have racked up 59 goals at even strength and 8 goals (31st in hockey) while having more men on the ice. They have granted a total of 78 goals to be scored by way of 61 goals at even strength and 17 goals while they were shorthanded. So far this year, the Washington Capitals have earned a total of 67 goals, 34 points, in addition to a points percentage of .607.

Across the rink you will find Darcy Kuemper protecting the net. The opposition is averaging 2.56 goals/game and he has yielded 895 goals overall. Kuemper's quality start rate is 55.0% and he has made 194 quality starts in his pro hockey career. He got the starting nod in 353 games and his ice time sits at 20,952 mins. Kuemper has accrued a career record of 172-127-45 and has participated in 371 games. He has recorded 9,680 saves out of 10,575 shots taken against him, giving him a percentage of .915.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Washington (-115)

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