In their first head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Anaheim Ducks and the Washington Capitals clash at Capital One Arena. Prime Ticket will air this cross-country matchup, which gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, November 18.
Anaheim Ducks vs. Washington Capitals Odds
Washington (-200) is tabbed as the solid favorite over Anaheim (+170), and oddsmakers at PointsBet have put the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals. The odds for betting the total sit at -105 money on the over and -115 on the under.
The Capitals are 15-7 straight up (SU) and have earned 5.8 units for moneyline bettors this season. That winning percentage, ranked second in the NHL in this young season, is an improvement over the 48-34 record from the 2018-19 season campaign. Of the team’s 22 games this season, 15 have gone over the total, while seven have gone under and none have pushed. The team is 5-5 SU at home this year.
Washington’s connected on 23.3 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated sixth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 85.7 percent of all penalties.
As a team, Washington has been penalized 4.0 times per game overall this season, and 2.6 per game over its last five matchups at home. The team has been forced to kill penalties for just 8.0 minutes per game over its last 10 outings, overall.
With a .904 save percentage and 26.9 saves per game, Braden Holtby (10-5-3) has been the primary option in goal for the Capitals this season. If they decide to rest him, however, the team may roll with Ilya Samsonov (5-3-3 record, .912 save percentage, 2.65 goals against average).
John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin will both be focal points for the Capitals. Carlson (32 points) has tallied eight goals and 24 assists and has recorded multiple points in 10 different games this year. Ovechkin has 14 goals and 10 assists to his credit and has recorded at least one point in 15 contests.
In the other locker room, Anaheim is 10-11 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.2 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 21 regular season outings, 11 of its games have gone over the total, while 10 have gone under the total and none have pushed. Anaheim’s 4-5 SU as an away team this season.
Anaheim has converted on just 9.1 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that places it in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 17th overall and it’s successfully killed off 80.5 percent of all opponent power plays.
Anaheim’s players have been penalized 4.3 times per game this season, 4.2 per game over their past five contests total, and 4.8 per game over their last five road outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties 11.2 minutes per contest over their last five road games.
John Gibson (.915 save percentage and 2.83 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Anaheim. Gibson is averaging 29.8 saves per game and has seven wins and nine losses to his credit.
Leading the offensive counter for the visiting Ducks will be Jakob Silfverberg (nine goals, eight assists) and Ryan Getzlaf (eight goals, six assists).
Anaheim Ducks at Washington Capitals Betting Picks
NHL Pick: O/U – Over
Betting Trends
For both of these clubs, the over has hit in three of their past five matchups.
Anaheim has managed 24.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Washington is averaging 32.2 shots per game over its last five at home.
The Ducks are 1-5 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 4-6 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
Washington skaters have created 7.4 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a slight drop from its season average of 7.8 takeaways per game (ranked 13th in the NHL).
Anaheim is ranked 25th overall this season with 6.4 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down recently, however, as it has created 5.6 takeaways over its last 10 games and 5.8 takeaways over its last five.
Washington might hold an advantage if it’s a close one late. The team’s 8-5 in games decided by one goal, while Anaheim is 3-5 in such games.
