Washington Capitals Odds & Recent Performance

According to Westgate Super Book in Las Vegas, the Washington Capitals are 18/1 or +1800. This number gives the Caps an implied probability of just 5.3% to win the Stanley Cup. However, they are standing firmly on top of the Metropolitan Division with 16 games played at the time of writing. So far they have 11 wins, 2 losses, and 3 OTLs for a solid 25 points. At the moment, this makes them the best team in the Eastern Conference. So, there is a lot of value on the Capitals this season.

The Caps are still getting sorely overlooked on the odds boards, while teams like the Lightning and Maple Leafs are the favorites out of the Eastern conference to hoist the Cup. But the Lighting only have 6 wins and a total of 14 points. The Maple Leafs are a bit better with 7 wins and 17 points. So, it’s safe for us to make the assumption that these two teams are overvalued and getting too much love, while the Caps, could be a sleeper to make a deep run into the playoffs. They are on a four-game win streak as they head into their game against the Florida Panthers on Thursday. And they are getting Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off. So they will be nice and rested for that game, and then get Friday off before facing the Knights

Vegas Golden Knights Odds & Recent Performance

The Golden Knights are sitting at 7/1 or +700 to win it all. This implies a 12.5% chance to stand tall as NHL champions at the end of the season. However, much like the Maple Leafs, the Vegas Golden Knights are off to a slow start. At this point, they are sitting in 4th in the Pacific Division with 18 points. They’ve got 8 wins, 5 losses, and 2 OTLs. Mind you, this better than both the Lighting and Leafs, but not by a whole lot. That said, it’s a bit of a tighter race already over in the Western Conference. 18 points would tie for second in the Central Division, so perhaps the Knights are just playing up to their competition. The Knights have had a rough few games. After beating the Blackhawks, they got covered by the Avalanche and couldn’t dig their way out. They rebounded against the Ducks, but then dropped two straight – to the Canadiens and Jets. Before they meet the Caps, they have to face the Blue Jackets and the Maple Leafs. But they do get a day off in-between each.

The Predictions

I have to give this one to the Capitals for a couple of reasons. First off, they are simply playing consistently better hockey, secondly, they are playing on their home ice. The Caps score night in and night out. So far they are averaging 4 goals in the net per game on 31 shots. They are leading the league in scoring up to this point. As of Monday, the Knights are only netting 3 goals per game while on the road. But they have been playing pretty decently on defense, only allowing 2.3 goals while they are the visiting team.

I expect the odds on this game to have a high total score, probably 6.5 or 7. And the Caps to be listed as slight favorites. Take Washington to win this one on Saturday.