Capitals vs. Predators Odds
| Capitals Odds | +115 |
| Predators Odds | -140 |
| Over / Under | 6 -122 / -102 |
The Predators had a difficult 5-10-0 start to the campaign, but have won an incredible 11 of 14 contests from Nov. 18-Dec. 12. They'll look to keep the good times rolling Saturday night, but the 14-8-4 Capitals are far from pushovers, so let's preview the upcoming contest and offer a Capitals vs. Predators prediction.
Washington Capitals
To a meaningful extent, the Predators go where Juuse Saros leads them. During Nashville's rough opening to the season, Saros had a 4-9-0 record, a 3.23 GAA and a .892 save percentage in 13 contests. But dating back to Nov. 20, the 28-year-old has played at the elite level we're used to, posting a 9-1-0 record, a 2.23 GAA and a .932 save percentage. This is the second half of a back-to-back for Nashville, but Kevin Lankinen started Friday, so Washington is expected to be handed the difficult assignment of getting the puck past Saros.
That has a big bearing on the Predators' chances because their offense is merely acceptable, going into Friday's action tied for 17th in the league with 3.07 goals per game. Nashville has decent depth and some star power, but doesn't excel in either regard. For example, Filip Forsberg is doing his part with 15 goals and 33 points in 29 contests, and Nashville is supporting him with Ryan O'Reilly (12 goals, 23 points) and defenseman Roman Josi (six goals, 23 points). However, the Canucks have four players who have exceeded the 35-point milestone.
Nashville's also merely okay defensively. The Predators don't make life easy for their goaltenders, but do rank 10th defensively with an xGA/60 of 2.95, so they aren't a disaster in their own end.
To put it simply, Nashville is a remarkably average team with one claim to fame — an elite goaltender.
Nashville Predators
Saros might not get challenged much by Washington, which ranks 30th offensively with 2.50 goals per game. While Nashville has some star power up front and okay scoring depth without being special in either category, the Capitals are the worst of both worlds.
Just six of Washington's players have provided at least five goals and the Capitals don't have a single forward with even 20 points. There are 108 players who have reached the 20-point milestone this campaign, so for Washington to not employ a single one is remarkable.
The collapse of Alex Ovechkin is certainly a big part of the story. He's supposed to be the driver of the offense, but he has just five goals and 16 points through 26 contests. He's 38-years old, so he was due to decline, but until this year he had been remarkably resilient, even finishing 2022-23 with 42 goals and 75 points in 73 contests. Perhaps he'll improve as the campaign progresses, and the eventual season debut of Max Pacioretty (Achilles), who has started skating with a non-contact jersey, should help too. For now, though, they aren't well equipped to get much by Saros.
Still, they have managed to win 14 games, so the Capitals' goaltending must compensate for that poor offense, right? It does sometimes. Washington has been somewhat inconsistent, surrendering four or more goals (not counting shootouts) on 10 occasions, but also allowing two or fewer goals in 12 contests. The Capitals are great at taking advantage of their strong defensive outings, posting a 10-0-1 record when allowing two or fewer goals while claiming just two victories in contests where they allow at least four markers.
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Capitals vs. Predators
Betting Pick & Prediction
So the Capitals have excelled in low-scoring tight games, which is great news because that's likely what we're in for on Saturday night. Oddsmakers are pricing Washington as a mild underdog, which I think is fair given that the Capitals will be up against Saros. However, Nashville might struggle to give him much offensive support, especially after playing Friday in Carolina.
It's not what I'd consider a safe bet, but if you want to chase a decent potential payout, taking Washington on the moneyline might be a fun play. For me, though, given the state of scoring between these teams, Under 6.5 goals is the most appealing bet.
Pick: Under 6.5 | Play to -130
