Coyotes vs. Capitals Odds
| Coyotes Odds | +210 |
| Capitals Odds | -265 |
| Over/Under | 6.5 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The Arizona Coyotes continue their six-game road trip with a stop in Washington D.C. to face off against the Washington Capitals.
The Caps come into this one with four wins and three losses, with all three losses coming in overtime. Meanwhile, the Coyotes have yet to secure a win and look far from impressive in the early going.
Arizona lost 5-1 on Thursday to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and as a team that is in the rebuilding phase, I'm expecting their struggles to continue against one of the best teams in the NHL.
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals have looked great through their first seven games, and they should have no problems continuing their success against a bad Coyotes team.
The offense has looked like a well-oiled machine early on, ranking inside the top four in Goals For per 60 minutes with 3.56. The Caps also find themselves in the top 10 in xGF/60, and they have the most total goals scored in 5-on-5 situations. This is easily one of the best offenses in the league.
The defense has also been beyond stellar, holding their opponents to just 2.71 goals per game. In addition, Washington has only allowed nine total goals in 5-on-5, and is ranked fourth overall in goals against per 60 minutes with 1.6.
You combine that level of production on the offensive end of the ice with a stellar defense and you have a recipe for a contender, which is exactly what the Caps are.
No starter has been named in net, but it appears that Vitek Vanecek will get the start in this one. In 5-on-5 situations, Vanecek has a SV% of .952, an HDSV% of .900, and 2.2 Goals Saved Above Expected, proving that he has been a great last line of defense for this team.
Arizona Coyotes
As previously mentioned, Arizona is in the midst of a rebuilding phase that is going to cause them to lose several games this season. As a result, there are not many positive things to say about this squad as of right now.
The offense has struggled quite a bit early on, only scoring nine total goals in 5-on-5 and having an xGF/60 of 1.97. Arizona has also only scored more than one goal in one of their last four games,and is averaging just 1.83 goals per game.
The offense is clearly not good enough to get the job done, but the defense has not held up its end of the bargain either. The Coyotes are allowing 4.83 goals per game and have given up 17 total goals when both teams are at full strength, the fourth most in the league.
The issues don't stop there, and as you might have been able to guess, Arizona has problems in net too.
There has been a bit of a revolving door in net, but the likely options for Arizona in this one include Karel Vejmelka and Ivan Prosvetov. Prosvetov started against Tampa Bay on Thursday so I don't anticipate him getting the start again, which leaves Vejmelka as the likely option.
So far this season Vejmelka has an SV% of .952 and a HDSV% of .909 in 5-on-5, and -2.4 Goals Saved Above Expected.
Capitals vs. Coyotes Pick
Arizona is in the midst of a downward spiral, and I don't foresee their fortunes changing on the back end of a back-to-back against one of the most solid teams in the NHL.
Washington is as good as it gets on both ends of the ice, and they should have no issues finding the back of the net against a bad Coyotes team that simply doesn't have enough firepower to keep up.
I expect the Caps to win big on their home ice.
Pick: Washinton -1.5 (-120)
