Washington Capitals vs. New Jersey Devils Matchup Preview 3/19/19

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In their fourth and final head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Washington Capitals and the New Jersey Devils meet at the Prudential Center. The match will get going at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 19, and you can catch this divisional matchup live on NBC Sports Network.

Washington Capitals at New Jersey Devils Odds

Washington (-230) is the favorite over New Jersey (+190) and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals. If gamblers want to put some action on the matchup’s total, they’ll be looking at odds of -115 money on the over and -105 on the under.

Washington is 42-30 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 4.8 units this season. Through 72 regular season contests, 38 of its games have gone over the total, while 31 have gone under and just three have pushed. The Caps are 21-16 SU as the road team in 2018-19.

Washington has converted on 21.8 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 21st out of 31 teams, and the team’s successfully killed off 79.8 percent of all penalties.

For the team as a whole, Washington has been sent to the penalty box 4.0 times per game overall in the 2018-19 season, and 5.0 per game over its past five contests. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays 8.8 minutes per game over their last five road outings.

With a .909 save percentage and 27.8 saves per game, Braden Holtby (27-25-6) has been the top option in goal for Washington this season. If head coach Todd Reirden chooses to rest him, however, Washington may roll with Pheonix Copley (16-8-3 record, .904 save percentage, 2.97 goals against average).

Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom will both look to continue their strong seasons for the visiting Capitals. Ovechkin (81 points) has tallied 48 goals and 33 assists, and has recorded two or more points 20 times. Backstrom has 18 goals and 49 assists to his creditand has registered a point in 44 games.

On the other side of the rink, New Jersey is 27-46 straight up (SU) and has lost 15.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 73 regular season contests, 37 of its games have gone over the total, while 33 have gone under and just three have pushed. This year, the team is 17-18 SU as the home team.

New Jersey has converted on 17.5 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fourth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 84.0 percent of all penalties.

The Devils have been penalized 3.9 times per game this season, 4.4 per game over their last five games total, and 4.2 per game over their last five home outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties 8.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.

Keith Kinkaid (25.8 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in goal for New Jersey. Kinkaid has 16 wins, 25 losses, and six OT losses to his name and has registered a mediocre 3.36 goals against average and a fairly-weak .891 save percentage this season.

The home team offense will be led by Kyle Palmieri (27 goals, 23 assists).

Washington Capitals at New Jersey Devils Free Picks

NHL Pick: SU Winner – Devils, O/U – Under

Betting Trends

  • The total has gone over in three of Washington’s last five games.
  • The extra-man advantage may prove to be critical tonight. The Capitals are 17-6 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 27-16 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Devils are 11-15 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 13-31 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
  • Two of New Jersey’s past 10 contests have been decided by a shootout. The team’s 1-1 in those games and 2-4 overall in shootouts this season.
  • New Jersey skaters have created 7.7 takeaways per game (ranked 14th overall).
  • Washington is ranked 11th in the league with 8.0 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower, however, as it’s created 6.7 takeaways over its last 10 games and 6.8 takeaways over its last five.
  • Washington could hold the upper hand if it’s a tight one late. The team’s an impressive 17-11 in one-goal games, while New Jersey is only 10-19 in such games.