New York Islanders vs Washington Capitals Betting Pick & Prediction 12/20/23

Looking to win big? The Islanders and Capitals face off at 7:30 ET on TNT. The Capitals are hosting the game at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. The over/under goal line for this matchup is currently at 6 goals, and the Capitals are favored to win at home against the Islanders.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS VS WASHINGTON CAPITALS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Washington Capitals -1.5

This game will be played at Capital One Arena at 7:30 ET on Wednesday, December 20th.

WHY BET THE WASHINGTON CAPITALS:

In spite of being 1.5 goal underdogs, we anticipate the Islanders winning this one 4-3.
We like the Islanders on the moneyline (+101)
The Islanders are also our pick on the spread at +1.5

Is A Road Victory Likely for Underdog New York?

This season, the Islanders have put together an overall record of 15-8-8. When playing on the road, New York has gone 6-5-2, while their home record stands at 9-3-6. In the Eastern Metropolitan division, they are currently 3rd, and in the Eastern conference, they come into the game sitting 6th.

In terms of the puck line, New York are 16-15. When playing on the road against the puck line, they are 9-4, while their overall home performance is 7-11. This season, New York’s games have an average of 6.4 goals per game. The average over/under number for the season is 6. The Islanders come in with an over/under performance of 18-12-1.

Across their last three road contests, New York has been good against the puck line posting a mark of 2-1. Their overall mark in these games was 2-1, while averaging 4 goals per game.

When looking at their offense, the Islanders have an average of 3.1 goals per game this season, positioning themselves 16th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are ranked 20th in the league. This year, the Islanders have recorded a 4-2 record in games where they outshoot their opponent. For games with fewer shots on goal, they have 11-6 record.

The leading scorer for New York’s offense is Brock Nelson. Coming into the game he has 15 goals, ranking 17th in the NHL. In addition to his goal scoring, Nelson has 13 assists this season.

In terms of defense, the Capitals head into the game ranked 26th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 30.8 shots per game against Washington. So far, they are 8th in shutouts, achieving 2 shutouts.

Entering the game, goalie Semyon Varlamov has started 11 games this season. His current record stands at 6-4, and his save percentage is 0.5729166666666666%.

Is A Home Victory Likely for the Favored Capitals?

Coming into their game vs. Islanders, the Capitals have a 15-9-4 record. They hold a 8-4-2 record when playing at home, and they have gone 7-5-2 on the road. This record has them sitting 5th in the Eastern Metropolitan division and 9th in the Eastern conference.

Against the puck line, Washington is 13-15. Their road puck line record so far is 7-7 while sitting 6-8 at home against the puckline. This season, Washington’s games are averaging 5.4 goals per game. Their average over/under line is 6.2. The Capitals currently have an over/under record of 9-18-1.

Washington has a 1-2 record in their last three home games. In this stretch, they averaged 2 goals per game while allowing 2. The team also performed well vs the puck line at 2-1.

On offense, the Capitals are averaging 2.4 goals per game which is 31st in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are 32nd in the league. In terms of the Capitals’ offense during power plays, they are 32nd in power play goals and 18th in shorthanded goals.

Washington’s leading scorer is Dylan Strome. So far, he has 12 goals which is 50th in the NHL. Strome also comes into the game with 6 assists.

Entering the game, goalie Charlie Lindgren has started 11 games this season. His current record stands at 6-3, and his save percentage is 0.6145833333333334%.