The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Washington Capitals meet in NHL action from the Capital One Arena on Saturday night. Who comes out on top as we head into the Christmas Break? Let’s dive in and find out with our Lightning vs. Capitals Prediction.
Tampa Bay Lightning Team Preview
The Tampa Bay Lightning come into this game on the heels of back-to-back wins after a 5-4 win over Vegas last time out. Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning in scoring with 57 points including a team-high 23 goals and 34 assists while Brayden Point has 16 goals and 22 assists for his 38 points. Victor Hedman’s added 32 points with 27 assists while Steven Stamkos has 35 points with 20 assists and Brandon Hagel has 28 points split between 10 goals and 18 assists. Jonas Johansson has gone 8-6-5 with a 3.47 GAA and an .891 save percentage while Andrei Vasilevskiy is 7-5 with a 2.93 GAA and an .901 save percentage this season.
Tampa Bay Lightning Team Facts
- The Lightning have lost three of their last four games as favorites against opponents on a winning streak.
- The Lightning have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six games at Capital One Arena following a home win.
- The home team has won the second period in each of the Lightning’s last eight games.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2’ market has hit in each of the Lightning’s last nine games as favorites.
Washington Capitals Team Preview
The Washington Capitals come into this one looking to build on their current three-game win streak after a 3-2 OT win over Columbus last time out. Alex Ovechkin leads the Capitals in scoring with 20 points including 6 goals and 14 assists while Tom Wilson has 18 points with 10 goals and 8 assists. John Carlson has 19 points with a team-high 18 assists and Dylan Strome has 20 points with a team-high 13 goals for the Capitals. In goal for Washington, Darcy Kuemper has gone 8-6-2 with a 2.90 GAA and a .900 save percentage while Charlie Lindgren is 7-3-2 with a 2.40 GAA and a .927 save percentage and Hunter Shepard is 2-0 with a 2.50 GAA and a .915 save percentage this season.
Washington Capitals Team Facts
- The Capitals have won four of their last five games as underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The Capitals have failed to cover the puck line in 16 of their last 17 night games against Atlantic Division opponents.
- The Capitals have won the second period in seven of their last eight games against the Lightning.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Capitals’ last eight games.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Washington Capitals rank 30th in the league for goals per game this season (2.43).
- The Washington Capitals rank 28th in the league in power play percentage this season (12.50%).
- The Tampa Bay Lightning rank 3rd in the league in power play percentage this season (30.91%).
- The Tampa Bay Lightning rank 27th in the league for goals against per game this season (3.50).
Lightning vs. Capitals Prediction
I’m going with the Capitals here. Two teams that have struggled with consistency as of late, and while the Lightning granted have the better upside, it’s the Capitals I trust more defensively and we’re getting plus money with the Capitals at home where they’ve been much better this season. Tampa Bay’s been improving but they still have a losing record on the road and I think the Capitals hold the value here. Give me Washington.
