Calgary Flames - Washington Capitals predictions and free betting tips [19/03/2024]

National Hockey League. Regular Championship 2023/2024. The opening match of the gaming day features a face-off between two teams from different conferences, both currently battling for their place in the playoffs. The Western team lags eight points behind the playoff zone, while the Eastern team is only a point short. The Calgary Flames will play host to the Washington Capitals.

Calgary Flames 

There are still 15 matches left this season, offering the opportunity to amass 30 points. Currently, Calgary falls eight points short of the playoff zone, meaning they need to cut their deficit by approximately a third, a task that is admittedly nearly impossible, but I can assure you, the Flames will fight until the end, as their recent matches prove. In their last 10 encounters, Calgary has secured six victories and faced four defeats, having also begun a winning streak of two consecutive matches. Therefore, the Canadian team can still claw back and snatch some points. The real question lies in their staying power because occupying the fifth spot in the wild-card round, after having led in the division not too long ago, is rather disappointing. It remains quite intriguing to see their strategy in the season's closing matches, whether they won’t push as hard in order to secure a higher draft pick, or fight it out to the end, as indicated by their recent matches. Currently, Calgary isn’t faring too badly in terms of goal difference, with -4. This is the best performance among the teams that don't make the playoffs in the West.

Washington Capitals 

The Capitals, on the other hand, decided to take a slightly interesting approach towards the trading deadline, offloading larger contracts to other clubs. Though seemingly set for a major rebuild, the Capitals shockingly improved their performance, even pushing into the playoffs based on lost points. This is indeed a surprising turn of events, as there isn’t a precedent of a team losing all of its leaders, only to start playing better and stake its claim for a playoff spot. The Capitals truly deserve commendation for this feat. Even Alexander Ovechkin has resumed his scoring run in spite of his dismal performance at the beginning of the season. Currently, with 19 goals to his name, he is among the leading scorers of the club. In terms of their last 10 matches, the Capitals also registered six victories and four defeats. However, when it comes to goal difference, Washington is third from the bottom in the East, with -30, which underscores the team’s rather remarkable turnaround.

Head-to-head

Calgary Flames and Washington Capitals have locked horns in 22 matches so far. Of these, Calgary has emerged victorious eight times, while Washington has prevailed in 14 encounters. In this season, the Capitals claimed a 3:2 victory via a penalty shootout.

Prediction

The Calgary Flames are currently favoured by Betsity, showing odds of 2.23 for their victory. Meanwhile, the probability for a Washington Capitals victory is slated at 2.75. Personally, I'd lean more towards the american team reigning supreme, yet this remains a highly contentious match with no clear favourites.