Washington vs. Minnesota. NHL Match Prediction and Bets

Current form

Washington begins the new calendar year as the sole leader of the East. The team from the US capital has 52 points in 37 games and is in first place, ahead of New Jersey by only one point. The hosts have four games in reserve, so they can easily make a handicap from the Devils if they continue to win. The Capitals alternated losses and victories after a successful series of games on home ice. On the road, Alexander Ovechkin team lost to Boston (1:4), won in Canada against Toronto (5:2), and the day before they could not cope with the onslaught of Detroit (2:4), but after returning home they confidently won against the Bears. The Caps conceded first, but quickly recovered and pulled ahead.

The Capitals have had problems with converting chances from time to time, but they should be resolved with the return of Alexander Ovechkin. The Great 8 has scored two accurate shots in three games, but in the previous five starts, Washington has only 14 goals. Dylan Strome remains the club leading scorer with 40 points (11+29). Together with Ovi, he will be more useful on the ice.

Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren regularly alternate at the last line of defense. The goalies have blocked only 90.5% of shots and often let their partners down. Right now, it is the goal line that is the weakest point of the hosts.

Disqualifications and injuries

Nicklas Backstrom and TJ Oshie are out of the fight, and Sonny Milano condition is questionable.

Interesting trends for betting

• Washington is averaging just 28 shots per game.

The Capitals don't shoot a lot, but they convert 13 percent of their shots.

• The Capitals earn 8.38 minutes of penalty time per match.

The hosts are often sent off, but play well in the minority and cope with many of their opponents' attempts

Current form

Minnesota is third in the conference standings with 50 points in 38 games. The Wild are already five points behind first-place Winnipeg, but a good winning streak could return the Wild to the top spot. The visitors had a very poor second half of December, but after four losses in a row, they won three out of four games. John Hynes' men dealt with Dallas on the road (3:2, OT), and immediately lost to Ottawa (1:3) after returning home. Jared Spurgeon team did not dwell on the defeat for long and easily beat Nashville in the previous game (5:3). The Preds were leading after the first period, but the then hosts did not allow the Predators to take two points.

Minnesota has made only 12 accurate shots in its last five games, and only twice has it managed to score at least three goals in a game. Kirill Kaprizov is still the team leading scorer, but his participation in the next game is in question. The Russian has 50 points (23+27), but has not been on the ice for three games in a row.

Filip Gustavsson has only recently returned from injury and has been playing at a high level so far. The Swedish goalie has won three of his last four games and has been very good. He has a .9235 save percentage and two shutouts in 26 starts this season.

Disqualifications and injuries

Jacob Middleton will not be helping his teammates in the US capital. Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon have not confirmed their participation in the match.

Interesting trends for betting

• The Wild are winning 48.6 percent of their faceoffs.

The visitors are doing well at the point and winning face-offs more often.

• The team receives an average of 7.45 minutes of penalty time.

John Hynes' men are sending off more than three times per match on average.