The NHL season continues on Friday with a busy 15-game slate, which features a fascinating match-up between the Washington Capitals (10-4-2) and Edmonton Oilers (5-12-1). The Oilers are running out of time to ignite their season but face a red-hot team on Friday.
Bookmaker Pinnacle offers odds at +170 for over 5.5 goals and Edmonton winning, while the odds are at +215 for Washington to win a high-scoring game.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: November 23rd, 10:00 P.M. (EST)
The Capitals are seen as underdogs for the clash despite the team winning five games on the trot and going 8-1-1 across its last 10 outings. Things looked very worrying for the 2018 Stanley Cup champions at the start of the campaign. New head coach Spencer Carbery won only one of his first five games in charge, and Nicklas Backstrom’s lack of form and eventual absence added to the issues, but things have suddenly clicked.
Washington has greatly boosted its scoring numbers in recent weeks, and Charlie Lindgren has held down the fort well while starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper has been absent for multiple games. Offensively, there should be further room for improvement as well, with the Capitals still boasting a lackluster 2.56 goals-for average for the season and Alex Ovechkin sitting on just five goals.
Ovechkin even went back-to-back games without a shot on goal for the first time in his career earlier in the season, and he clearly hasn’t been at his best without his old buddy Backstrom. But it should be only a matter of time before Ovechkin, a 12.9 percent career shooter, ups his shooting percentage from 8.1.
Considering how poorly the Oilers have played defensively in 2023-24, Friday’s battle should be a good opportunity for Ovechkin and the Capitals to improve the numbers on the attacking end.
After getting dumped 6-3 by Carolina on Wednesday, Edmonton has now had 10 games out of 18 this season in which the team has given up at least four goals. The side’s goals-against average stands at a shocking 4.00, and the Oilers also have the league’s worst save percentage at .870.
The team’s prolific offense, led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, has previously masked Edmonton’s shortcomings at the back, but McDavid has dealt with an injury this season and looks like a shadow of himself. With him failing to hit top gear, the Oilers have gone from having the league’s best attacking record a season ago to being ranked 21st with a 2.94 goals-for average.
