Two teams that are squarely in the playoff hunt, the New York Islanders and the Washington Capitals face off at Capital One Arena. This Metropolitan Division matchup will get started at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, February 10 and it can be watched live on NBC Sports Washington.
New York Islanders vs. Washington Capitals Odds
Playing the role of sizable favorite will be Washington (-180), whereas New York is a dog showing moneyline odds of +160, and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. If gamblers want to play this matchup’s total, they’ll be looking at odds of -110 money on the over and -110 for the under at NJ PointsBet Sportsbook.
The Capitals are 36-19 straight up (SU) and have earned 6.5 units for moneyline bettors this season. That winning percentage, ranked first in the NHL in this young season, is an improvement over the 48-34 record from last year’s regular season campaign. Of the team’s 55 games this season, 35 have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team’s 16-12 SU at home this season.
Washington has converted on 20.1 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 84.0 percent of all penalties.
Washington, as a collective unit, has been penalized 4.3 times per game overall this season, and 5.2 per game over its last five home outings. The team’s had to kill penalties for 8.5 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, in total.
Averaging 25.5 saves per game with a .893 save percentage, Braden Holtby (21 wins, 16 losses, and four OT losses) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Capitals this year. If they choose to give him a breather, however, Washington could roll with Ilya Samsonov (16-6-6 record, .923 save percentage, 2.19 goals against average).
John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin will both lead the way for the Capitals. Carlson (65 points) has tallied 14 goals and 51 assists and has recorded multiple points on 21 separate occasions this year. Ovechkin has 40 goals and 17 assists to his name and has notched at least one point in 33 games.
In the other locker room, New York is 31-22 straight up (SU) and has netted 5.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 53 regular season contests, 28 of its games have gone under the total, while 22 have gone over and just three have pushed. As the visiting team, New York is 14-11 SU so far.
New York has converted on 19.7 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 19th overall and it’s successfully killed off 79.4 percent of all opponent power plays.
New York’s players have been whistled for penalties 3.4 times per game in total this season, 2.8 per game over their last five match ups total, and 3.4 per game over their last five games as the visiting team. The team has had to kill penalties just 6.6 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Semyon Varlamov (25.8 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for New York. Varlamov owns a 17-16-4 record, and has registered a .915 save percentage and 2.58 goals against average this year.
Mathew Barzal (18 goals, 26 assists) and Brock Nelson (21 goals, 21 assists) are the top offensive options for New York and will lead the offensive counter for the visiting Islanders.
New York Islanders at Washington Capitals Free Picks
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Islanders, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
Each team is 3-2 in games decided by shootout.
For both of these clubs, the over has hit in four of their last five matchups.
Eight of Washington’s last ten outings have been decided by two or more goals, and the club is 6-2 overall in those games.
This game features two of the more physical defenses in the league. New York skaters have accounted for the most hits in the league (28.8 per game) and the Caps have handed the sixth-most (24.4).
