Washington’s Alex Ovechkin has nine goals and 15 points over his last 11 games against Ottawa
Sunday is normally not the busiest day in the hockey world, but we get a rare treat today as the NHL has a loaded slate for its fans with eight exciting matchups to end off the night.
The Capitals return home with five straight losses as they play host to the Senators with their playoff hopes hanging in the balance. Ottawa also enters on a losing streak but has beaten some of the leagues best as of late which makes tonight’s matchup an important game for the playoff picture
Other exciting matchups are the Wild are the very edge of being eliminated as they hope to take care of business against a Blackhawks team piecing things together to end off the season. The night ends off with a showdown between two of the league’s best with the Stars and Avalanche.
It’ll be an eventful night and with so many games to bet on, you’ll want the most chances to make some big time profits. Lucky for you, we’ve throughly researched these picks to give you the best chance at starting off your week on the right foot.
All betting lines are from BetMGM and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
Bet: Blackhawks ML (+170)
The Wild are on the last legs of their playoff lives with Nashville having an 11-point lead over them with just six games left. It seems nearly impossible and the final nail in the coffin would be a loss to the Blackhawks.
Chicago has started to put things together late with an 8-6-0 record that is a massive improvement over their 5-20-4 record in their previous 29 games. During their recent run of games, their offense has improved to 15th in the league as they average 3.14 goals per game which outranks the Panthers, Bruins, Canucks and Capitals during that span.
The offense has been led by rookie sensation Connor Bedard, who’s continued to stay red hot while helping linemate Philipp Kurashev improve his play with the Czech winger tied with Bedard at 19 points in their last 16 games.
Minnesota will start 21-year-old Swedish netminder Jesper Wallstedt in between the pipes after impressive AHL numbers didn’t translate to his first career start in early December that saw him allow seven goals on 34 shots in a 7-2 loss to the Stars. He was one of the better goalies in the minors with a 21-19-3 record and a goals against average of 2.76 and a .908 save percentage in 43 games.
Wallstedt should have a much better second start but will let Chicago stick around and makes them a surprising pick to come out with a win as Minnesota has struggled all year to win on the road with a 16-16-4 record that trails their 20-15-5 home record.
Chicago is also due for a win over the Wild as they lost 11 straight in this matchup but will play better at home where they’ve won five of their last six games.
Bet: Capitals ML (-145), Alex Ovechkin anytime goal (+115)
At one point, the Capitals were hot and looked to be on the march for the last playoff spot but have since lost five straight and have fallen behind the emerging Penguins. They get a chance for a bounce back against another declining team in the Senators.
After five straight wins, people thought Ottawa may emerge as a scary team that with their scrappy play can take some teams out of the playoff picture with a bad loss as they found ways to beat the Oilers and Jets while making the race more challenging for the Sabres.
They can do it again tonight after playing a physical game last night against the Devils. Captain Brady Tkachuk set the new NHL record for most hits in a game with 16 as he threw his body around for crushing hits time and time again. Ottawa has the advantage for matchup heading into this matchup as well with wins in four of their last six matchups.
Washington’s weakness over their losing streak has been their defense with an average of 4.20 goals allowed. Ottawa has done predominantly well at home and struggle on the road with a 13-21-2 record and the seventh-highest goals against average at 3.47 this season.
The Capitals have been struggling but should bounce back on home ice as tonight is a must-win but will likely need scoring to elevate them to the win. Captain Alex Ovechkin has done his best to will his team to victory with a goal per game over their last 11 and has a great record versus Ottawa with nine goals and 15 points over their last 11 matchups.