Previewing Wednesday’s Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals sports betting odds and lines, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.
The Washington Capitals (22-5-5) host the Boston Bruins (20-5-6) Wednesday at Capital One Arena for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop. It’s a battle of the first-place teams in the Metropolitan and Atlantic Divisions, respectively. We analyze the Bruins-Capitals sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
Bruins at Capitals: Projected starting goalies
Tuukka Rask vs. Braden Holtby
Rask is coming off a loss to the Ottawa Senators on Monday in which he allowed three goals on 26 shots faced. It was the third time in his last five starts with at least three goals allowed. He’s 13-3-3 on the season with a .927 save percentage and 2.19 goals against average.
Holtby had a four-game win streak snapped Monday when he allowed four goals on 37 shots against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He is 15-3-4 with a .909 SV% and 2.84 GAA.
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Bruins at Capitals: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated 10:30 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Bruins 3, Capitals 1
The Bruins have dropped three in a row for just the second time all season and have been off since Monday’s 5-2 loss against the rival Senators. They’re still 7-2-1 across their last 10 games and are 8-4-1 on the road. The Capitals also lost 5-2 to the Blue Jackets on Monday after winning six straight. They’re 7-2-1 across their last 10 games and have a record of 8-3-4 on home ice.
Take the BRUINS (+105) at plus money. C Patrice Bergeron returned to the lineup Monday and a better result should be expected his second time out. Rask has been the better goalie on the season and the two teams enter with equal rest. Take the value.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Bruins to win in regulation, overtime or a shootout returns a profit of $10.50.
The BRUINS (+1.5, -250) can also be played on the puck line, where they’ll need to stay within a goal in a loss or win outright for a bet to cash. It’s much less rewarding and should only be played in conjunction with the moneyline, but it’s the safer play. Boston is 15-16 ATS overall and 6-7 on the road, while Washington is 18-14 ATS overall but just 5-10 at home.
Take the UNDER 5.5 (+115) as Wednesday’s most profitable play. The Bruins are 4-6 against the O/U in their last 10 games while the Caps went 6-4 in favor of the higher number. With Bergeron back in the lineup, the Bruins will hope to contain Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin.
Esten’s NHL betting record: 113-94
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