Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins Betting Pick
Two powerhouse teams of the East Division face off Wednesday in Beantown, as the Washington Capitals (12-5-4) and Boston Bruins (12-5-2) will go head-to-head. It’s just the third time these teams have played each other this season, with the Capitals and Bruins each taking a game back in D.C.
Here is a look at Wednesday’s matchup, from key stats and players to watch to a free betting pick. Right now, Boston is a decent -150 favorite at home, with Washington sitting at +130.
By the Numbers
Despite averaging far-fewer shots, the Capitals enter Wednesday as the higher-scoring team. Washington is averaging 3.43 goals per game, third in the NHL with the third-ranked shooting percentage and fifth-ranked power play at over 29 percent. Boston, meanwhile, is averaging just three goals per game, 14th in the NHL, along with a 17th-ranked shooting percentage. However, they average 32 shots per game compared to Washington’s 29 and have a power play that sits at close to 27 percent.
Defensively, the Bruins have a much-clearer advantage. Boston gives up an average of 2.63 goals per game, seventh in hockey while giving up a league-low 26 shots per contest. Their penalty kill percentage of near-88 also ranks in the top-three, which bodes well considering no team averages more penalty minutes than they do. On the flip side, the Caps are allowing the sixth-most goals per game at close to 3.2 while also sitting right in the middle of the league with 30.1 shots allowed and an 80 percent penalty kill rate.
Capitals Betting Preview
The Capitals are starting to find their groove, entering Wednesday with a 4-0-1 record over their last five outings. It’s a nice turnaround from the beginning of February, where they lost four straight games, all by multiple goals, and had three games postponed due to COVID in the middle of it all. Washington now hopes a win on Wednesday can break their first-place tie with the Islanders to push them ahead of the pack in a loaded division.
Washington’s leading scorer is one of their longtime vets, but probably not who you’d expect. Nicklas Backstrom leads the team with 10 goals and 15 assists, nine of those points coming on the power play, while playing in every game for the Caps. Behind him is defenseman John Carlson, who, after five assists over his last four games, is up to 14 helpers on the season.
After those two, both Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson sit at seven goals and 10 assists, with Ovi scoring in their most recent game on Sunday and Wilson adding a pair of assists. One name to watch who might be flying under the radar, though, is Lars Eller, who has points in three straight games entering Wednesday and is currently skating on the team’s top line, although that may change depending on whether Evgeny Kuznetsov returns to action for the game.
After being out since the first week of the season, Ilya Samsonov made his return to action on Sunday, making 19 saves on 21 shots in a win against the Devils. Samsonov was their number one netminder going into the season, but should they ease him back in slowly, Vitek Vanecek has been an admirable replacement. Vanecek has gone 9-4-3 this season with a 2.81 GAA, and .909 save percentage.
Bruins Betting Preview
After their worst two losses of the season in which they were outscored 13-4, the Bruins managed to respond on Sunday with a dominant win against the Rangers. That game brought them to 4-4 over their last eight, three of those wins coming against a subpar New York team. But while Boston tries to right some of their wrongs, a regulation win Wednesday at home would put them in a tie with the Caps and Islanders for first place, despite playing fewer games than both of them thus far.
Like Washington, a longtime vet for Boston leads them in both goals and assists. After netting points in his last two games, Brad Marchand is now up 10 goals and 13 assists while appearing in all 19 games. Patrice Bergeron follows Marchand on the point list with 20, with nine of them coming on the power play. Despite missing seven games, David Pastrnak is already up to 18 points in 12 games thanks to back-to-back efforts with two assists.
With 12 assists, d-man Charlie McAvoy is one of the big contributors as well as being tasked with close to three-more minutes of ice time than anybody else, while Nick Ritchie has nine of his 14 points coming on the man-advantage. Finally, the under-the-radar name to look out for is Charlie Coyle, as the 28-year old netted two goals on Sunday and has points in three of his last four games.
The Bruins have had a fairly predictable schedule of who will be in net each night. Save for a period where postponed games gave them a five-day break, Boston doesn’t have Tuukka Rask start more than two games in a row. So with Rask starting the last two games, look for the Bruins to turn to his veteran backup Jaroslav Halak. The 35-year old Halak is 4-2-1 this year with a 2.42 GAA, and .902 save percentage.
Betting Pick
This is a fun matchup between two teams that should absolutely each make the playoffs, with plenty of star power to go around. However, I think this game is a good spot for the Bruins. Boston’s shot suppression should go over well against Washington, while the Capital power play can be held in check by their elite penalty kill. The Bruins also seemed to really figure things out on Sunday and have the advantage in net, whether it’s Halak or Rask. Also, consider that Boston has just one loss at home this season. Take the Bruins to win Wednesday in this primetime showdown.
Pick: Bruins -150
