Free NHL Picks Today: Washington Capitals vs Arizona Coyotes 11/5/22

The Arizona Coyotes (3-6-1) head to face the Washington Capitals (5-5-2), who will be hoping to end their losing streak, at Capital One Arena on Saturday. Arizona is playing their first of 15 games on the road coming off a high-scoring 7-2 loss against the Stars on Thursday.

The Coyotes committed four penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal. Lawson Crouse and Juuso Valimaki both scored once for the Coyotes. Matias Maccelli had two assists to lead the team in scoring. Connor Ingram started in the loss and saved only seven of 10 shots against (.700%).

Washington is returning home for a five-game homestand after a 3-1 loss against the Red Wings on Thursday, their third defeat in a row. Alex Ovechkin was the only player to score for the Capitals. Darcy Kuemper had 23 saves in the loss.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Capitals won both games between the teams last season, including a 2-0 victory in their final meeting in April. Conor Sheary led Washington with two points (1G 1A). Vitek Vanecek saved 19 shots to earn the shutout win.

FACING OFF

Arizona is averaging 2.80 goals per game so far this season, 24th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Capitals team that is allowing 2.83 goals a game (10th). Meanwhile, Washington has found the net 2.75 times a game on average, 25th in the league, and the Coyotes are allowing opponents to score 4.30 goals per game (30th).

Both teams average fewer shots/game than most teams in the league. Washington’s 27.9 average ranks 29th, while Arizona ranks No. 32 with 23.1 shots. When it comes to shot-stopping, the Capitals have been more successful, stopping .921% of shots as a team (6th), while the Coyotes have a team save percentage of .889% (26th).

The Coyotes’ 31.43% power play percentage is the third-best in the league, while the Capitals rank 18th with a conversion rate of 20.00%. In terms of penalty killing, Arizona has the league’s 10th-ranked PK% at 82.05%, while Washington is 17th at 78.95%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

With 10 points this season, Clayton Keller is the top skater for the Coyotes. He has three goals and seven assists in 10 games. In the net, Karel Vejmelka (2-3-1) is Arizona’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 3.97 GAA and a .895% save percentage.

Ovechkin leads the Capitals in scoring with 10 points. He has six goals and four assists in 12 games. Kuemper (4-4-1) is the top goalie for Washington with a goals against average of 2.35. He has a save percentage of .922%.