The Washington Capitals are favored at home on Wednesday night as they host the Boston Bruins in a game that can be seen on NBCSN. Both teams come into this game battling for third place in their respective divisions and each is struggling to score goals. The Bruins are 25th in the league in goals per game while the Capitals are 19th. The last time these teams met it was a low scoring game that the Capitals won in overtime 2-1.
Don't miss the ice action from the Verizon Center at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 7, 2016. Catch every moment of the game live on NBCSN.
We'll have NHL odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NHL Wednesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Whoever made the Boston schedule this season did the team no favors as the Bruins have been alternating home and road games for a couple of weeks. This will be the sixth straight game where the Bruins have alternated playing at home and on the road. Boston has been decent on the road going 8-6 in their 14 road contests.
The Capitals are wrapping up a quick two-game homestand. Washington was 8-4 in their first 12 home games.
The Capitals will be listed as small home favorites in this contest with a total of 5.
Special Teams
The Bruins have not gotten much help from their power play as they are just 23rd in the league at 14.3%. Boston is only scoring 2.3 goals per game as they rely on defense and goaltending to win games. The Bruins have been an excellent penalty killing team, ranking 3rd in the league at 85.9%. The Bruins are giving up just 2.2 goals per game.
The Capitals have surprisingly struggled on the power play as they are just 22nd in the league at 14.5% even with Alexander Ovechkin leading the way. The Capitals are just 19th in the league, averaging just 2.5 goals per contest. The Capitals have not been that good in penalty killing as they are just 18th in the league at 82.4% but they are giving up just 2.2 goals per contest.
“We’re looking for that real precise goal,” coach Barry Trotz said. “Sometimes you’ve just got to simplify a little bit. Just shoot the puck. We’ve got some good shooters. Right now they’re a little bit dry.”
Goalie Report
It is all about Tuukka Rask for the Bruins this season as he is 13-5 with a 1.60 goals against average. He already has three shutouts this season. The backup is Anton Khudobin who is 1-3 with a 2.75 goals against average.
“I think every team likes to have one of these goaltenders and a lot of teams do,” coach Claude Julien said. “We’re just fortunate enough that he’s been one of those guys that when you slip a little bit or you lose a little bit of momentum, or you’re having a slow start or a tough night, those guys step up and help you win some hockey games. He’s been like that since the start of the season and has been great. He had a challenging year last year, so he’s turned it around and he’s making up for it this year.”
The Capitals are led by reigning Vezina winner Braden Holtby who is 10-8 on the season with a 2.16 goals against average.
Free NHL Picks
The Capitals have owned this series of late, winning the last six meetings. The Capitals have also won six of the last eight at home in the series. It has been very low scoring with five of the last six going under with one push.
I am tempted to take the home team in this one but neither of these teams is scoring much right now and each has an excellent goaltender so this should be a game that goes under the total.
NHL Odds: Capitals, Bruins
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