The Washington Capitals (5-4-2) travel to take on the Detroit Red Wings (4-3-2) at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday. Washington is coming off a 3-2 overtime loss against the Golden Knights on Tuesday. The Capitals took advantage of their power play opportunities, scoring once on two shots, while also conceding a power play goal.
Marcus Johansson and Trevor van Riemsdyk both scored once for the Capitals. Dylan Strome had two assists to lead the team in scoring. Charlie Lindgren only had 28 saves on 31 shots against (.903%) in the loss.Detroit fell 8-3 to the Sabres on Monday. David Perron, Olli Maatta, and Dylan Larkin each scored once for the Red Wings. Alex Nedeljkovic saved only 38 of 46 shots against (.826%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Capitals won two of the three games between the teams last season, including a 3-1 victory in their final meeting in December. Alex Ovechkin (2G 0A) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (1G 1A) each had two points to lead Washington. Pius Suter scored Detroit’s only goal. Ilya Samsonov got the win, saving 19 of 20 shots (.950%).
FACING OFF
Washington is averaging 2.91 goals per game for the season, 21st in the NHL, and they are taking on a Red Wings team that is allowing 3.56 goals a game (25th). Meanwhile, Detroit has found the net 3.11 times a game on average, 16th in the league, and the Capitals are allowing opponents to score 2.82 goals per game (11th).
Washington averages fewer shots (27.4) than most teams in the league, ranking 29th, though the team’s 10.6% shooting percentage is 13th. Detroit’s average of 28.7 attempts ranks 26th. The Capitals’ 22.22% power play percentage ranks 15th in the league, while the Red Wings are 22nd with a conversion rate of 18.75%. In terms of penalty killing, the teams are tied for the league’s 13th-ranked PK% at 80.00%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With nine points apiece this season, Ovechkin (5G 4A) and Strome (2G 7A) are the top skaters for the Capitals. In the net, Darcy Kuemper (4-3-1) is Washington’s top goaltender. He has a 2.39 GAA and a .922% save percentage.Larkin and Dominik Kubalik lead the Red Wings in scoring with 11 points apiece. Larkin has five goals and six assists, while Kubalik has four goals and seven assists. Ville Husso (3-1-1) has the best goals against average for Detroit at 2.40. He has a save percentage of .926%.
HOME AND AWAY
Washington is 2-3-1 away from home this season. Detroit is 3-1-1 at Little Caesars Arena this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Washington Capitals (-135)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
