The Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins will both look to extend their winning ways when the East Division rivals square off on Saturday. With both teams an identical second in victories (5) heading into the weekend, let’s find out which team is offering the best value against the value-packed NHL Odds in this intriguing Bruins Vs Capitals affair.
NHL Predictions – Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals
Bruins On A High-Scoring Roll!
Boston is on a red-hot roll right now, having won four straight games while scoring at least four goals in each contest. The Bruins dominated Pittsburgh en route to a commanding 4-1 win on Thursday night as center Patrice Bergeron scored a pair of goals to lead the way to victory. Jaroslav Halak turned back 16 of just 17 Pittsburgh shot attempts while Chris Wagner and Sean Kuraly both lit the lamp in the win.
After scoring three goals in their first three games, the Bruins have scored a whopping 17 goals while sweeping their four-game homestand, including consecutive wins over the Penguins.
“As a team, we think on the [defensive] side of the puck we’ve been playing well, and we just wanted to stick with that,” Kuraly said. “We know we’ve got good players, a bunch of talent, goals will come. Sometimes you’ve just got to tell yourself, ‘Stick with it.’ And I think that’s, as a team, what we’ve been doing is sticking with it. Our chances are coming, and they’re starting to go in a little bit more.”
Boston is averaging 2.9 goals per game (17th) while putting 31.0 shots per game on goal (15th). Defensively, the bruins are ranked a stellar third by limiting the opposition to just 1.9 goals per game.
Caps Lighting The Lamp Without Ovechkin, Kuznetsov
Washington has won two straight and three of four including a dominant 6-3 win over the New York Islanders on Thursday night.
Zdeno Chara scored his first goal with the Washington and the Caps exploded with five goals in the second period to get it done. Chara, a 43-year-old defenseman, signed a one-year contract with Washington Dec. 30 after 14 seasons with the Boston Bruins. In addition to scoring his first goal, Chara also had an assist.
“I returned to the bench to the guys right away because I just wanted to share the joy and excitement with them,” Chara said. “Since Day One, they’ve really done an amazing job welcoming me and making the transition as easy and simple as possible for me.”
Conor Sheary scored his first two goals with Washington while John Carlson had a goal and an assist, and Justin Schultz and Nicklas Backstrom each had two assists. Net-minder Vitek Vanecek turned back 27 shots to get the win. Washington played its fourth game without superstar forwards Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, defenseman Dmitry Orlov and goalie Ilya Samsonov, who have sat out because of NHL COVID-19 protocols.
The Capitals are putting up a fantastic 3.8 goals per game to rank fourth in scoring despite allowing 3.0 goals per contest defensively (21st). Washington has an eight-game points streak going with all three of their defeats coming in either overtime or a shootout.
Boston Bruins (5-1-1) Vs Washington Capitals (5-0-3)
- When: Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021 at 7:00 PM ET
- Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
- TV: ESPN+
- NHL Odds: TBD
Expert Analysis and Prediction
Washington has won three of the last four meetings against Boston, but the Bruins are playing lights out right now at both ends of the ice. While The Caps have dominated Boston by going 36-15 in the last 51 meetings and 19-7 in their last 26 home games against the Bruins, I like Boston to get it done on Saturday night.
Washington is 2-5 in its last 7 Saturday games and a discouraging 3-12 in their last 15 games following a win. Boston’s defense has been virtually impenetrable and the Bruins are lighting the lamp in a big way right now. I like the Bruins to get it done in a high-scoring affair!
Pick: Boston 5 Washington 4
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