All eyes will be on Alex Ovechkin as he sits on the cusp of history, but there’s also value in backing the Capitals to notch another road win on Long Island.
NHL
The New York Islanders host the Washington Capitals on Sunday at UBS Arena. Oddsmakers list Washington as a -152 favorite, with the total set at 5.5 goals.
New York has lost six of its past seven games, and my Capitals vs. Islanders predictions expect that trend to continue.
Read on for my NHL picks for Sunday, April 6.
Alex Ovechkin is now tied with Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history after scoring twice against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
Ovi couldn’t ask for a better matchup than the Islanders, against whom he’s scored 12 goals in his last 20 meetings. New York ranks a distant 28th in the league in expected goals against per 60 minutes, and has been getting especially shaky play lately from Ilya Sorokin, who is posting a .878 SV% and 3.17 GAA in his last five starts. Add it all up and it’s easy to see Ovechkin finding the back of the net today.
Check out my best NHL player prop bets for more in-depth analysis.
My best bet: Capitals moneyline (-152 at FanDuel)
My analysis
A major reason for the New York Islanders’ recent slide is their inability to suppress high danger scoring chances. Over the past two months, they rank 28th in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60).
Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin has struggled with the product in front of him. Sorokin has surrendered three or more goals in four of his past five starts, posting a 1-4 record and .878 SV% during that stretch.
On the other hand, the Washington Capitals rank ninth over the past two months in xGA/60. Subsequently, they also rank higher than the Islanders in expected goals for percentage (xGF%).
Charlie Lindgren is projected to start in net for Washington, and he should serve as a good candidate to back. Through two career outings against New York, Lindgren is 1-0 with a .921 SV% and 2.70 GAA.
The Capitals have won three of the past four meetings between these two teams, and I have full confidence in backing them on Sunday.
Capitals moneyline
Alex Ovechkin anytime goal
Tom Wilson anytime goal
Two prime candidates to score for Washington are Ovechkin and Tom Wilson, both of whom skate on the top line and first power-play unit.
Those two should have some quality looks on special teams, given that New York sits 29th in penalty-kill percentage. Earlier this week, both Ovechkin and Wilson scored in the Capitals’ 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
New York has lost six of its past seven games. Find more NHL betting trends for Capitals vs. Islanders.
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Tony Sartori has written over 1,000 pieces of sports betting content across multiple different media outlets. He covers the NHL, UFC, PGA, NFL and MLB. Tony started part-time while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he went on to receive a B.A. in Economics and a certificate in Entrepreneurship in 2022. He continues to work full-time in the sports betting landscape.
Due to the variety of sports he covers, Tony is handicapping every day. If he had one piece of betting advice for a new sports bettor, it would be to strictly enforce bankroll management rules for yourself. If you set aside $10,000 for your betting bankroll, then you should generally only be betting between $100 – $500 per play.
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