A wily veteran and a prodigy will square off for the third time when Alexander Ovechkin and the NHL-leading Washington Capitals play host to Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night. McDavid, the league’s leading scorer, will be making his first appearance at the Verizon Center in this one. Sportsbooks opened the Caps as -185 home faves with a total of 5.
Edmonton improved to 4-1-0 in its last five with a 4-3 overtime victory at Florida on Wednesday that snapped the Panthers’ five-game winning streak. The Oilers are among the NHL’s best road teams with 18 wins, and goaltender Cam Talbot is a big reason why. Talbot owns a sparkling 16-6-5 mark with four shutouts away from home.
Washington avoided losing three straight for the first time this season with a 4-1 win over Philadelphia on Wednesday, where Ovechkin failed to register a shot on goal for the first time since March 2013. Centers Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov combined for three goals in that game. Backstrom has 33 points in his last 22 tilts to boost his team-leading total to 63 while Kuznetsov has amassed 38 points in the last 39 contests.
The Caps continue to get the job done at home. Washington is a perfect 12-0 in its last 12 at the Verizon Center.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
The Edmonton Oilers were listed as 166 underdogs on the NHL hockey moneyline earlier at Sportsbook. The over under total was set at 5 before betting started earlier on Friday at Sportsbook.
Odds Shark score prediction models pick a 3.6-1.6 result in favor of the Capitals today. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NHL matchups here.
Edmonton Oilers vs Washington Capitals Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
40-12-7 Washington battles the Oilers, currently with a 33-20-8 mark. The OVER/UNDER records, important for totals bettors, are 25-20-14 for the Capitals and 23-34-4 for the Oilers. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Washington vs Edmonton injuries news.
This game puts the Washington Capitals, most recently No. 1 in the Odds Shark NHL Power Rankings, up against the Edmonton Oilers, who rate a No. 10 in the latest survey.
Statistical Matchup
Offensively, the game matches up the Washington Capitals No. 2-ranked offense (3.37 goals per game) against a Edmonton Oilers defense that ranks No. 10 at 2.61 goals per game allowed. The Capitals Sportsbook has clicked at a 22.29% rate while the Oilers have a 80.92% rate on the penalty kill.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Last time out for Edmonton, they were a 4-3 Sportsbook as they battled the Panthers on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Oilers at +118 were rewarded, while the 7 combined goals moved the game OVER for totals bettors.
The Capitals were a 4-1 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Flyers. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Washington at -160 on the moneyline, while the total score (5) was good news for OVER bettors.
Next Betting Matchups
Edmonton at Nashville, Sunday, February 26th
Washington at Nashville, Saturday, February 25th