The Colorado Avalanche (1-1-0) face the Washington Capitals (1-0-1) Tuesday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Avalanche vs. Capitals odds and lines, and make our expert NHL picks, predictions and bets.
The Avalanche opened with a 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks Wednesday, but they suffered a 5-3 setback against the St. Louis Blues Saturday. This will be the first road game of the season for the Avalanche.
The Capitals routed the New York Rangers 5-1 Wednesday in their season opener, pushing against the total, before falling 2-1 in overtime against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday.
Avalanche at Capitals odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:37 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Avalanche -105 (bet $105 to win $100) | Capitals -115 (bet $115 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Avalanche +1.5 (-260) | Capitals -1.5 (+185)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -102 | U: -122)
Watch: ESPN+ has become a must-have for hockey fans. Get access to more than 1,000 out-of-market NHL games, 75 weekly national games, and more all season. Sign up for ESPN+ now!
Avalanche at Capitals projected goalies
Darcy Kuemper (1-1-0, 3.09 GAA, .902 SV%) vs. Vitek Vanecek (1-0-1, 1.44 GAA, .938 SV%)
Kuemper replaced Philipp Grubauer, who is now the primary backstop with the expansion Seattle Kraken. The free-agent ‘tender stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced in a win over the Blackhawks before coughing up four goals on 27 shots against the Blues.
Vanecek was exposed in the expansion draft and could have been a teammate of Grubauer’s, but the Caps traded for him back. He has been sharp, turning aside 23 of 24 shots against the Rangers, and 22 of 24 shots against the Lightning.
Avalanche at Capitals odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Capitals 4, Avalanche 2
Money line
The CAPITALS (-115) are a strong play at home against the Avalanche. Washington is still missing C Nicklas Backstrom (hip), and it could be a while before he returns, but the rest of the team is healthy and hitting on all cylinders.
Better yet, the Avalanche, already missing star C Nathan MacKinnon due to a COVID-19 result, will be without LW Gabriel Landeskog as he serves the final game of a two-game suspension for a boarding incident against the Blackhawks.
Against the spread
The CAPITALS -1.5 (+185) are worth a roll of the dice, although you might be biting your fingernails in the final minute or two hoping for an empty-net goal. This is only worth a small-unit play, but the bet is a good value. Vanecek is playing with a lot of confidence right now.
Over/Under
UNDER 6.5 (-122) is the lean here. With no MacKinnon and Landeskog, goals will be at a premium for the Avs, especially with how well Vanecek is playing out of the gates. The Under is 1-0-1 for the Caps so far, and Washington has allowed just 3 total goals across the first two contests.
If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow @WinWithJoe on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1622]