The Verizon Center in our nation’s capital is the venue of choice this Saturday night in the NHL for a West Coast/East Coast showdown between the Anaheim Ducks and the Washington Capitals. Game time for this inter-conference clash has been set at 7:30 p.m. (ET).
Anaheim at Washington Game Overview
The Ducks are in the thick of a tight Pacific Division title race with 68 points on the year, but they have not done themselves any favors lately with just two wins in their last six games to fall two points off the pace. After losing its first three contests in this extended six-game road trip, Anaheim bounced back with a 5-2 victory at Buffalo on Thursday night as a -118 favorite. The total went OVER the closing five-goal line after staying UNDER in nine of its previous 11 games.
With an average of 2.6 goals per game, the Ducks rank 21st in the NHL in scoring, but they improve to sixth in the league at the other end of the ice with a goals-against average of just 2.5. This is also one of the top defenses in the league against the power play with a kill rate of 84 percent. Corey Perry led the way against the Sabres with two goals and Anaheim outshot Buffalo 44 to 26 in that much needed win.
No team in the NHL has more points than the Capitals (82) with a 38-11-6 record through their first 55 games to open up an eight-point lead in the highly competitive Metro Division. They come into this game with a five-game winning streak as part of an 8-2 record in their last 10 games. Washington doubled up Detroit 6-3 on Thursday night as a heavy -255 home favorite and the total has now gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in 14 of its last 16 games.
Firepower on offense complementing the top defense in the league has propelled the Capitals to the top of the East standings. Led by the likes of Alex Ovechkin (26 goals) and Nicklas Backstrom (57 points), Washington is third in the NHL in scoring with an average of 3.4 goals per game. At the other end of the ice, goalie Braden Holtby has done his job on a consistent basis with a GAA of just 1.97. The Capitals have the lowest GAA of any NHL team at 2.1.
Anaheim at Washington Game Betting Trends
- The Ducks have lost their last five games against a team with a winning record and they are 1-4 in their last five Saturday games. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their last five games on the road.
- The Capitals are 4-1 in their last five games against the Pacific Division and they have won nine of their last 11 games against a team with a winning record. The total has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in 10 of their last 11 home games.
- The road team in this inter-conference tilt is 5-1 in the last six meetings and the total has stayed UNDER in five of the six games.
