Washington Capitals at Anaheim Ducks odds, lines, picks and best bets
The Washington Capitals (21-4-5) wrap up a four-game road trip Friday against the Anaheim Ducks (12-12-4) at Honda Center. Puck drop is scheduled for slightly after 10 p.m. ET. We analyze the Capitals-Ducks sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
Capitals at Ducks: Projected starting goalies
Braden Holtby vs. John Gibson
Holtby has backstopped the Caps to three straight wins, including a 23-save effort against the San Jose Sharks Tuesday. He leads the league with 14 victories and has a .909 save percentage and 2.82 goals against average.
Gibson gave up three goals on just 20 shots faced against the Winnipeg Jets in his most recent start. He is 8-11-2 on the year with a .910 SV% and 2.86 GAA.
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Capitals at Ducks: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at Paste BN Sports for a full set of today's betting odds. Odds last updated 11 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Capitals 5, Ducks 2
Moneyline (ML)
The CAPITALS (-154) cruise into Friday on a five-game winning streak and with a 13-2-1 road record. The Ducks (+125) are coming off a 4-2 home victory over the Los Angeles Kings and have an 8-5-2 record at Honda Center.
Washington's plus-26 goal differential is second-best in the NHL, while Anaheim is minus-nine. The Caps also have the analytical edge with the better rates of Corsi (percentage of all shot attempts), scoring chances and PDO (shooting percentage plus save percentage) at 5-on-5.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
Back the CAPITALS (-1.5, +170) on the spread for a greater return on your investment. A $10 bet will return a profit of $17 should they win by two or more goals. Each of their last three victories was by a multi-goal margin. Three of the Ducks' last five losses were by gaps of at least three goals.
Washington is 18-12 against the spread overall and 13-3 ATS on the road. Anaheim is 14-14 ATS overall and just 6-9 at home. The Capitals win this one handily.
Over/Under (O/U)
Take the OVER 5.5 (-143) with the Capitals likely to handle the bulk of the scoring. The Caps went 6-4 against the Over/Under across their last 10 games while the Ducks went 7-3 against the projected totals.
Esten's NHL betting record: 107-88
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