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The Washington Capitals (47-15-8) pay a visit to the Winnipeg Jets (48-19-4) for a battle between first-place clubs Tuesday. The opening face-off at Canada Life Centre will be at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Capitals vs. Jets odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: Winnipeg leads 1-0
Surging Washington has won 4 in a row and 9 of its last 10. The Capitals last played Saturday, netting a 6-3 home win over the Florida Panthers in a showdown between Eastern Conference first-place clubs. The first-in-the-Metropolitan Division Caps scored all 6 of their goals in the game’s first 35 minutes.
Jersey No. 8 for the Caps enters this game with 888 career goals; W Alex Ovechkin needs 7 more goals to pass Wayne Gretzky for the all-time NHL scoring record.
The Jets are playing their second straight game at home as part of what will be a 4-game home stand. On Sunday, the Central Division’s first-place club fell to the Buffalo Sabres 5-3. A Winnipeg squad that allowed just 1.73 goals per game from Feb. 24-March 16 has coughed up 14 goals in going 1-2-0 over its last 3 games.
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Capitals at Jets odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:15 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Capitals +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Jets -145 (bet $145 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Capitals +1.5 (-220) | Jets -1.5 (+180)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Capitals at Jets projected goalies
Charlie Lindgren (16-11-3, 2.63 GAA, .901 SV%, 1 SO) vs. Connor Hellebuyck (40-10-3, 2.06 GAA, .924 SV%, 6 SO)
Lindgren last played Thursday when he logged 26 saves while allowing 2 goals against the Philadelphia Flyers. That start came at home; he has allowed 3 goals or more in 3 of his last 4 turns on the road.
Hellebuyck is at home after making 3 straight starts on road ice. The last 2 did not go well: Across starts at the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers March 18 and March 20, the 31-year-old allowed 8 goals against 37 saves (.822 SV%). Hellebuyck — who leads the NHL in Hockey-Reference.com’s Goals Saved Above Average (32.9) — owns a sparkling .934 SV% at home this season.
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Capitals at Jets picks and predictions
Prediction
Jets 3, Capitals 2
Moneyline
The Jets are 25-6-4 at home. They beat the Caps 5-4 in a Feb. 1 overtime contest in D.C., and in that game led 3-1 early. Winnipeg has been quite good in bounce-back efforts after losses by multiple goals: The Jets are 4-1-0 across their last 5 such efforts.
The Capitals figure as a bit too far over their skis with goals-vs.-expected analytics, especially of late. And the club is 0 for its last 14 on the power play.
Hellebuyck gives Winnipeg the added edge, and JETS (-145) has some value.
Bonus: Ovechkin, who did not score Saturday against the Panthers, is tabbed at +150 for an anytime goal in this one. He scored a goal on Hellebuyck in the Feb. 1 matchup and has logged back-to-back zero-goal games just once since the Four Nations break. This OVECHKIN GOAL (+150) play is worth some partial-until action.
Puck line/Against the spread
More juice, less value on these prices. PASS.
Over/Under
The Feb. 1 meeting hit an Over 5.5, but the Under prevailed in each of the 3 previous Caps-Jets games.
The Under has cashed in 5 straight Winnipeg home games. With Hellebuyck’s home numbers and some 5-on-5 analytics that point to some overall goal inflation in the matchup, the UNDER 5.5 (-105) is the value side in this one.
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