| Range | W | L | P | +/- (Units) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yesterday | 3 | 1 | 0.00 | +5.00 |
| Last 30 Days | 22 | 25 | 0.00 | +2.86 |
| Season to Date | 22 | 25 | 0.00 | +2.86 |
All plays are 2 units
HOME TEAM IN CAPS
Detroit +111 over WASHINGTON
OT included. Talent wise, there are no comparisons between these two and it’s not in the Capitals favor. Washington’s hottest player right now is Joel Ward, who is on fantasy hockey teams only in the deepest of leagues. Defenseman Mike Green is the Caps top scorer while the great (and we use that term loosely) Alex Ovechkin hasn’t picked up a point in four games. That said, the Capitals are playing some pretty good hockey under the new direction of ex-Predator coach, Barry Trotz. Trotz has the Caps playing a much more disciplined brand of hockey in the same way the Predators played for 15 years with Trotz behind the bench. Dude knows hockey. Washington’s shots on net against are way down. They are winning close, low scoring games and even when they lose, they are in it. The Caps are 4-4. Their four losses have been by scores of 2-1, 6-5, 3-2 and 4-2. They have allowed 24 shots on net or fewer on five of their eight games. However, the Red Wings come in here rested and they catch the Capitals returning from the dreaded three-game trip to the Canadian West Coast.
Detroit is far under the radar due to their 4-4 record with just two wins in regulation in eight games. The Red Wings have also lost two of their last three and two of their four wins have come against the Maple Leafs. They are coming off a 4-2 loss against the Flyers, which doesn’t really add to their appeal. However, the Red Wings have been the NHL’s unluckiest team so far by a wide margin. When they lost to the Flyers in their last game, they outshot Philly 37-17 and held them to three shots on net in the second period. Detroit absolutely dominated that game. In its 2-1 OT loss to Montreal, they had a late goal disallowed (it shouldn’t have been) that would’ve put the Red Wings up 2-0 but instead Montreal tied it with three minutes remaining and won in OT. Against Anaheim, Detroit completely dominated that game for long stretches as well but lost 3-2. Truth is, Detroit has had one sub-par effort this year and could very easily be 7-1 instead of 4-4. The Red Wings have scored two goals or less in six of their eight games but they have had more chances and more time in the offensive end than most and that’s just another case of bad fortune. Goalposts, bizarre bounces, two goals being waved off and extremely hot goaltenders have all contributed to Detroit’s misfortune. It’s only a matter of time before they go off for some crooked numbers because they have Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Jurco, Tomas Tatar, and Darren Helm, among others, all playing at a high level. Loaded with offensive talent and with perhaps the most improved defense in the league, Detroit is still high on our radar as one of the most undervalued teams in the league. The Red Wings are in a good scheduling spot here too, as they have been off since Saturday while Washington returns home from a trip. We’re investing.
Nashville -½ +147 over EDMONTON
Regulation only. There are so many things to like about the Predators here and we’ll start with the situation. Nashville begins a six-game trip here and teams often play their best game in the first leg of said trip in an attempt to “set the tone”. Some success on these extended trips is crucial in any teams’ quest to make the playoffs. The Preds are coming off a 3-0 loss to the Penguins and they weren’t that sharp in that game so a much more determined effort is expected. Furthermore, Nashville has played just twice on the road this season so one has to figure they are looking forward to this trip. The Preds have played Chicago twice already and they have also played Pittsburgh and Dallas. The Preds picked up three out of a possible four points against the Blackhawks and they defeated Dallas, 4-1. They now take a big step down in class when facing these very beatable Oilers.
Edmonton is hot with four wins in succession following its awful 0-5 start. However, they were outshot in every game during their current four-game winning streak and twice they were outshot by a wide margin. Edmonton ranks 24th out of 30 teams in their 5 on 5 plus/minus ratio, meaning they are getting badly outplayed during 5 on 5 play. We also love the fact that Edmonton has played five straight at home and this will be their sixth straight home game before a game against the Canucks on Saturday. Extended home-stands are not beneficial. After practice players go their own way, as oppose to hanging out after practice on the road. Edmonton has indeed won four in a row at home but they have not been the better team in at least three of those four games and one could argue all four. We get the better defensive team by a very wide margin in a truly favorable situation. Pencil us in.
