After a very quiet Wednesday night in the NHL where we only had a pair of games on the schedule, things kick into high gear on Thursday, with a full slate of games set to go. The second half of the NHL season is now well underway, which means that the scrambling for playoff spots is about to get very serious. There are a few teams that look to be a lock to get in already, but there are also a bunch of teams who are going to be locked in a serious fight all the way up to the final week of the regular season.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals have been on a brutal run of form of late and are certainly not a lock to be in a position to defend their crown in the postseason. The champs will be at home on Thursday night, where they will welcome in a Colorado Avalanche team who are increasingly looking as though their playoff hopes are starting to wither and die. The Capitals are favored by a goal and a half, with the goal total set at 6 ½.
Avalanche vs Capitals NHL Betting Lines & Game Analysis
Congratulations @ovi8! #1 all-time Russian @NHL scorer #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/kfQ9DnQ3px
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) 6 de febrero de 2019
- When: Thursday, February 7 at 7 PM EST
- Where: Capital One Arena, Washington
- TV: ESPN+
- Live Stream: NHL.tv
- NHL Betting Lines: Washington Capitals -145 (Total 6.5)
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Why bet on the Colorado Avalanche?
The Colorado Avalanche are on an awful run of form that has seen them lose 4 in a row while picking up just 2 wins in their last 10 games. Overall, they are playing .500 hockey on the season and have scored the same number of goals (173) as they have conceded.
While their goalscoring record has them up among the offensive leaders in the NHL, their defensive record is at the opposite end of the scale, as is their penalty killing, which is problematic, to say the least. Things are getting even worse on the defensive end of the ice for the Avalanche, as they have surrendered a whopping 20 goals in their current 4 game losing skid. In the first meeting of the season with the Capitals, the Avs fell 3-2 in OT.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 3.33
- Shots: 32.33
- PP/PK Percentage: 24.33
Defense
- Goals: 3.33
- Shots: 30.90
- PP/PK Percentage: 23.76
Why bet on the Washington Capitals
While the Washington Capitals are not performing much better than their Thursday night opponents over the last 10 games, they do have the benefit of playing in a division that is a good deal more forgiving. Despite being just 2-6-2 over the last 10 games, the Capitals are in second place in the Metropolitan Division, just 2 points back of the New York Islanders.
An indication of how tight things are in the East can be seen in the fact that the Montreal Canadiens, who are in one of the Wild Card spots, have 2 more points than the Capitals. What this tells us is that Washington could very quickly be sucked down into a playoff fight if they don’t break out of this slump soon. The Capitals are 15-9-4 on home ice this season and have won 8 of their last 9 meetings with Colorado.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 3.36
- Shots: 30.08
- PP/PK Percentage: 21.29
Defense
- Goals: 3.17
- Shots: 32.36
- PP/PK Percentage: 21.86
Avalanche vs Capitals NHL Betting Trends
- Colorado is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
- Colorado is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games on the road
- The total has gone OVER in 9 of Colorado’s last 11 games on the road
- Washington is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games at home
- Washington is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington’s last 7 games at home
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
Neither one of these teams is doing much to impress bettors of late, but with a win in their last outing, the Capitals are at least showing signs of improvement. I am on Washington to get the win here.
Score: Colorado Avalanche 2 – Washington Capitals 5
