- 1,258
- 86
- 48
The Capitals are cruising, and Alex Ovechkin is, unsurprisingly, the linchpin for the team's offensive success. With a shaky goaltender in Elvis Merzlikins manning the crease for Columbus, our betting picks consider Ovie's chances at lighting the lamp.
The Washington Capitals will try to continue their rise up the Metropolitan Division standings when they visit the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets tonight.
The Capitals are riding an eight-game point streak despite losing 5-4 in overtime to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. Alex Ovechkin continues to dominate after passing Gordie Howe for second place on the NHL all-time goals list, hitting the net six times in his last three games.
Ovechkin will have the opportunity to add to that tally against perhaps the worst defensive team in the Eastern Conference. We’ll break down whether he can continue to find goals in our NHL betting picks and predictions for Capitals vs. Blue Jackets.
Ovechkin can score against anyone, but he’ll likely chase down the record over the next two or three seasons by feasting on the worst defenses in the NHL. He’s shown that this year, scoring a hat trick against the Chicago Blackhawks, three goals in two games against the Montreal Canadiens, and four goals in two outings against the Vancouver Canucks.
The Blue Jackets fit right in with that list. Columbus is allowing 3.92 goals per game, the second-worst mark in the NHL, and has allowed four or more goals in seven of its past 10.
It doesn’t take an expert to figure out that this is a game in which Ovechkin has a good chance of finding the net at least once. Oddsmakers know that too, so they’ve shortened the odds on Ovechkin to score tonight, with several books offering just -110 on the Russian to tally a goal at some point tonight.
The real question is whether that number is nearly short enough. Ovechkin has scored 28 goals in 40 games and has scored in 19 of those games. As of late, those numbers have been even better, with 15 goals in 13 games while scoring in eight of those contests.
As a baseline, the overall numbers this year make -110 seem about right, while the recent trends make Ovechkin look like a slightly more likely scorer tonight. But the real factor that has me all over this prop bet is the opponent. The Blue Jackets can’t stop anyone from scoring, let alone Ovechkin and the Capitals. Columbus will start Elvis Merzlikins, who has a 4.68 goals-against average and .864 save percentage this season.
It’s rarely easy to take less than even money on a goal-scoring prop, but Ovechkin is primed to get at least one goal in tonight’s game. I’m backing him to continue his outstanding play tonight and score against Columbus.
My best bet: Alex Ovechkin anytime goalscorer (-110)
The Washington Capitals will try to continue their rise up the Metropolitan Division standings when they visit the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets tonight.
The Capitals are riding an eight-game point streak despite losing 5-4 in overtime to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. Alex Ovechkin continues to dominate after passing Gordie Howe for second place on the NHL all-time goals list, hitting the net six times in his last three games.
Ovechkin will have the opportunity to add to that tally against perhaps the worst defensive team in the Eastern Conference. We’ll break down whether he can continue to find goals in our NHL betting picks and predictions for Capitals vs. Blue Jackets.
Capitals vs Blue Jackets picks and predictions
I’m sure you’re already aware of this, but Alex Ovechkin might just be the best pure goalscorer in NHL history. Ovechkin has scored 808 times in his 18-year career and did that in one of the lowest-scoring eras in NHL history. After his recent outburst, he now has 28 goals in his age-37 season and is 86 tallies behind Wayne Gretzky's all-time record of 894.Ovechkin can score against anyone, but he’ll likely chase down the record over the next two or three seasons by feasting on the worst defenses in the NHL. He’s shown that this year, scoring a hat trick against the Chicago Blackhawks, three goals in two games against the Montreal Canadiens, and four goals in two outings against the Vancouver Canucks.
The Blue Jackets fit right in with that list. Columbus is allowing 3.92 goals per game, the second-worst mark in the NHL, and has allowed four or more goals in seven of its past 10.
It doesn’t take an expert to figure out that this is a game in which Ovechkin has a good chance of finding the net at least once. Oddsmakers know that too, so they’ve shortened the odds on Ovechkin to score tonight, with several books offering just -110 on the Russian to tally a goal at some point tonight.
The real question is whether that number is nearly short enough. Ovechkin has scored 28 goals in 40 games and has scored in 19 of those games. As of late, those numbers have been even better, with 15 goals in 13 games while scoring in eight of those contests.
As a baseline, the overall numbers this year make -110 seem about right, while the recent trends make Ovechkin look like a slightly more likely scorer tonight. But the real factor that has me all over this prop bet is the opponent. The Blue Jackets can’t stop anyone from scoring, let alone Ovechkin and the Capitals. Columbus will start Elvis Merzlikins, who has a 4.68 goals-against average and .864 save percentage this season.
It’s rarely easy to take less than even money on a goal-scoring prop, but Ovechkin is primed to get at least one goal in tonight’s game. I’m backing him to continue his outstanding play tonight and score against Columbus.
My best bet: Alex Ovechkin anytime goalscorer (-110)