The Vegas Golden Knights welcome the Washington Capitals to T-Mobile Arena for a non-conference showdown in the desert. The Capitals have clinched a spot in the 2022 NHL playoffs this season, while Vegas seems to be fighting for their playoff lives with every passing game.
With the end coming sooner rather than later for these teams, this game is sure to have a playoff-style pace to it. Expect Vegas to press hard as these two points are a premium for the Golden Knights. Puck drop for this star-studded contest is scheduled for 10:00 pm Eastern Time.
Capitals at Golden Knights Stats
Washington Capitals Stats
The Washington Capitals have just clinched a playoff spot this season, which is largely due to their quality of play as of late. Washington currently has 96 points which puts them just one point behind 3rd place in the Metropolitan Division.
The Caps have gone 7-3-0 in their last ten games. During that span, they are averaging 4.3 goals per game. This team has offensive firepower, and they can compete with the best of them with it.
This team seems to go as far as the great Alex Ovechkin will take them. Ovi currently has 48 goals and 39 assists on the year. He has tallied four of those goals in the Capitals’ last five games.
Washington is a top-ten offensive team in the NHL, and their scoring depth is a major part of that. Another piece to that scoring depth is a defenseman, John Carlson. Carlson has 15 goals and 53 assists this season and is always looking to jump in the play and make an impact.
The Stanley Cup hopefuls have been running a two-goalie tandem system all season long. Netminders, Ilya Samsonov (23-10-4, 2.97GAA, .898sv%) and Vitek Vanecek (19-11-5, 2.67GAA, .909sv%) are looked to be the backbone of this team. If the Caps truly have hopes and aspirations to be one of the NHL picks to win the Stanley Cup, one of these goalies will have to step up big.
Vegas Golden Knights Stats
The Vegas Golden Knights find themselves scratching and clawing for their playoff lives as the regular season comes to an end. Currently, the Knights have 87 points and are four points behind the Dallas Stars for the 2nd wild card spot with five games left to play.
While the Knights have gone 6-3-1 in their last ten games, they haven’t been able to make up much ground on the wild card teams. At one point, Vegas controlled their own destiny, but after dropping their last two games, they will need some help to clinch a playoff spot.
What has held the Golden Knights back this season is their lack of dominance on either side of the puck. This season they rank 14th in goals per game with an average of 3.14, while they rank 16th in goals against per game with an average of 2.96 goals allowed. In years past, the Knights have been a dominant team in some facet of the game, but this year’s squad simply is stuck in the middle of the pack this season.
There is a lot of pressure on superstar forward, Jack Eichel, who has accumulated 12 goals and nine assists in his 29 games played. He was brought in to help bolster the Knights offensive attack, but hasn’t seemed to hit that elite status that he is accustomed to.
Vegas has gone all-in on goaltender Robin Lehner (23-17-2. 2.83GAA, .907sv%) to be the guy that leads them to a Stanley Cup championship. However, this season Lehner hasn’t played up to the expectations that fans and management have hoped for. Early in the season, Vegas was one of the top NHL expert picks to win the Stanley Cup. If they want to get to that point, they must hope for a miracle as the season winds down.
Matchup Information
Capitals at Golden Knights Betting Trends
- Vegas has hit the Over in their past four games as the home favorite
- The Caps are 9-1 against to hit the Over in their last ten road contests
- Washington is 40-36 against the puck line this season
- The Golden Knights are 30-17 as the favorite in the regular season
Capitals at Golden Knights Betting Picks
Vegas finds themselves as the home Moneyline -140 favorite in this star-studded matchup with the NHL betting odds. On the Puckline, Washington is +1.5 with -200 odds, while Vegas is -1.5 with +170. The over/under is set at 6.5 goals. The over odds are -105, while the under odds are -115.
In this contest, expect plenty of scoring as the Capitals are red hot, and Vegas is planning on playing their backup goalie with Robin Lehner sidelined with an injury. It is due or die time for the Golden Knights but expect the Capitals to cover the Puckline in this contest and take two points from Vegas.
With the way these two teams have been playing, it is a no-brainer to take them over 6.5 with -105 odds in what will be an offensive-focused contest between these two teams. Look out for the Capitals as they are red hot rolling into Vegas.
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.