Washington Capitals - Vegas Golden Knights predictions and free betting tips [15/11/2023]

Vegas Golden Knights will be visiting Washington Capitals for a regular NHL showdown.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals have been displaying commendable performance this season despite their issues in the offensive attack; the team is only netting an average of 2.31 goals per matchup. The contributions from Alexander Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, and Evgeny Kuznetsov have been substantial with a total of 10 goals and 17 assists. However, other attacking players of the team have been struggling, and only five have scored three or more goals, enabling opponents to focus on stopping the Capitals' primary attack.

Conversely, the Capitals' defence is also facing challenges, conceding on average 2.85 goals per game, although they've allowed only three goals in their last two fixtures. John Carlson and Rasmus Sandin have been averaging 1.8 points per game in defence and blocked 61 shots, while Nick Jensen and Lucas Johansen added another 0.9 points per game to the team, creating two reliable defensive pairs. However, goalie Darcy Kuemper with a save percentage of .892 and an average of 3.07 goals against per game with 232 shots, needs to improve his game.

In their last matchup against the Islanders, the Capitals claimed victory with a scoreline of 4:1. Ovechkin led the team with a double, with the last goal being in the vacant opposition net. The Capitals' goaltending line is not impressive yet. Kuemper has managed a 3-3-2 record with 3.07 goals conceded and a .892 save percentage, while Charlie Lindgren and Hunter Shepard haven't performed any better.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights are looking to capitalise on their 5:0 win over San Jose Sharks in the most recent game. William Karlsson leads the team with 18 points, including 8 goals and 10 assists, Jack Eichel has gathered 15 points with 6 goals and 9 assists, and Mark Stone has added 14 points with 4 goals and 10 assists. Shea Theodore has 12 points with 9 assists, while Chandler Stephenson has 10 points with 8 assists. Goalie Adin Hill has posted a 7-1-1 record with 1.75 goals against and a .939 save percentage, and Logan Thompson has played 5-1 with 2.31 goals against and a .923 save percentage this season.

The Golden Knights are having a brilliant season, and their offence is firing on all cylinders, averaging 3.67 goals per game. Karlsson, Eichel, and Stone combined have scored 18 goals and made 29 assists, leading two top lines. Chandler Stephenson, Jonathan Marchessault and Michael Amadio have also made their contributions, adding a total of 10 goals and 17 assists. Defenders Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo added 8 goals and 11 assists, bolstering the attack.

Vegas's defence is also faring well, conceding only 2.13 goals per game, with only 8 goals allowed in the last four games. Brayden McNabb and Theodore have been averaging 2.6 points per game in defence with 69 blocked shots, and Pietrangelo, Ben Hutton and Alec Martinez have added 2.3 points in defence.

Match Prediction: Washington Capitals vs Vegas Golden Knights

Both teams this season have started to show excellent results, with Vegas blazing from the start. The Golden Knights have a 12-2-1 record and are leading the pack in the Pacific division. The Capitals thus far are 7-4-2, and courtesy of back-to-back victories, they have risen to third place in Metropolitan division. In the upcoming game, one of the NHL's best defensive teams (Vegas) will clash with a team displaying outstanding hockey performance this season (Washington). Both teams demonstrate high efficiency in defence, so I'll aim for a bet on total under.