The Washington Capitals (+110) welcome the Minnesota Wild (-130) at Capital One Arena on Tuesday. The total is 6 (O: -110, U: -110)Minnesota (24-14-4) is kicking off a four-game road trip coming off a 2-1 win over the Coyotes on Saturday.
The Wild committed only one penalty in the game, holding Arizona without a power play goal. Mats Zuccarello and Frederick Gaudreau both scored once for the Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury saved an impressive 27 of 28 shots (.964%) in the win.
Washington (24-16-6) is playing the second of a back-to-back after earning a 4-3 overtime win over the Islanders yesterday. Four players found the net for the Capitals. T.J. Oshie and Dmitry Orlov both scored and provided an assist to lead the team in scoring. Darcy Kuemper surrendered three goals on 30 shots (.900%).
HEAD TO HEAD
The Wild won both games between the teams last season, including a 5-1 victory in their final meeting in April. Joel Eriksson Ek (2G 1A) and Jordan Greenway (0G 3A) each had three points to lead Minnesota. Garnet Hathaway scored Washington’s only goal. Cam Talbot got the win, saving 25 of 26 shots (.961%).
FACING OFF
Minnesota is averaging 3.12 goals per game for the season, 18th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Capitals team that is allowing 2.76 goals a game (9th). Meanwhile, Washington has found the net 3.22 times a game on average, 13th in the league, and the Wild are allowing opponents to score 2.76 goals per game (10th).
Power play opportunities ought to be plentiful for the Capitals, as the Wild are averaging 4.52 penalties per game, fourth-most in the NHL. The visitors’ 11.88 penalty minutes a game ranks third-highest. The home team has been penalized 3.46 times a game (5th-fewest in the league) for an average of 7.98 minutes (7th-fewest).
The Wild’s 23.31% power play percentage ranks 13th in the league, while the Capitals are 17th with a conversion rate of 21.28%. In terms of penalty killing, Washington has the league’s 10th-ranked PK% at 80.77%, while Minnesota is 15th at 79.43%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 52 points this season, Kirill Kaprizov is the top skater for the Wild. He is among the league leaders with 25 goals (10th) and has added 27 assists. In the net, Filip Gustavsson (10-6-1) is Minnesota’s top goaltender by goals against average.
He has a 2.17 GAA, second-best in the league, and a .925% save percentage, fourth-best. Fleury (14-8-3) leads the Wild in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 2.86 and a save percentage of .905%.Alex Ovechkin leads the Capitals in scoring with 50 points. He has 30 goals (4th) and 20 assists in 46 games. Kuemper (12-11-4) has the best goals against average for Washington at 2.54. He has a save percentage of .918%.
HOME AND AWAY
Minnesota is 11-6-3 away from Xcel Energy Center this season. Washington is 13-7-3 at Capital One Arena this season. Meanwhile, the Capitals are 1-4 without a day off and 0-1 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Wild are 6-0 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Minnesota Wild (-135)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
