The Washington Capitals (17-10-5) travel to face off against the New York Islanders (16-9-9) on Friday, December 29th. This game will be played at UBS Arena in Elmont. Both the Capitals and Islanders will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 ET.

Washington Capitals vs New York Islanders

The Washington Capitals Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

This season, the Capitals currently hold an overall record of 17-10-5. When playing on the road, Washington has a 8-6-2 record, while they are 9-4-3 at home. Their current record places them 5th in the Eastern Metropolitan division and 8th in the Eastern conference. Washington’s average scoring margin this season is -0.4 leading to an overall puck line record of 14-18. Their scoring margin at home is -0.2 and -0.6 on the road.

Coming off a 5-1 loss on the road to the Rangers, the Capitals are hoping to bounce back today. The Capitals couldn’t find the net offensively in the first or third periods against the Rangers, but they did score one time in the second period. Washington’s’s lone goal during the game occurred at even strength. They ended with 27 shots on goal in total.

Coming in as the underdog, Washington not only lost straight-up but also failed to cover the puck line. With a combined total of 6 goals, the teams exceeded the over/under line of 5.5 goals set for the game.

The New York Islanders Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

The Islanders come in with an overall record of 16-9-9. On the road, New York has a 7-5-3 record, whereas they are 9-4-6 at home. Their current record places them 4th in the Eastern Metropolitan division and 6th in the Eastern conference. New York has five wins by more than one goals and dropped eight games by multiple goals. Their overall puck line record is 18-16 this season.

The Islanders aim to bounce back following their 7-0 loss at home to the Penguins. The Penguins defense proved to be too much for New York’s offense, resulting in being shutout. While being shutout, the Islanders’ offense finished with 11 giveaways and took a total of 22 shots on goal.

New York was favored by -1.5 giving them a loss vs. the puck line. With a combined total of 7 goals, the teams exceeded the over/under line of 6 goals set for the game.

Washington Offense Breakdown

For their offensive performance, the Capitals come in averaging 2.3 goals per game this season, which is 31st in the NHL. In the category of shots on goal per game, they are 32nd in the league. The Washington offense is ranked 32nd in power play goals. As for shorthanded goals, they find themselves at 28th in the NHL.

This season, the Capitals’ have an over/under record of 10-21-1. Throughout the season, they have played 20 games that did not exceed the 5.5 over/under line. On average, their games are averaging 5.3 goals per game.

New York Offense Breakdown

The Islanders come into the game scoring an average of 3 goals per game, putting them 21st in the NHL. Regarding shots targeted at the goal per game, they are 22nd in the league. In terms of power play goals, the Islanders offense is 14th in power play goals. As for shorthanded goals, they are 4th in the NHL.

The Islanders come in with an over/under record of 20-13-1. Over the season, there have been 21 games that have surpassed the 5.5 over/under line. Their games, on average, are at 6.4 goals per game.

Washington Team Defense

Defensively, the Capitals come into the season ranked 23rd in goals allowed. Opponents are averging 30.7 shots per game against Washington. For the season, they are ranked 18th in shutouts, coming in with 2 shutouts.

New York Team Defense

The Islanders defense is currently 2nd in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 35.4 shots per game against New York. In terms of shutouts, they come into the game ranked 4th with 4 shutouts.

Capitals vs Islanders Trends

• Across the Capitals last three road games, the team averaged 2 goals per game while allowing 2. Their record vs the puck line in these contests was 1-2, while going 2-1 straight-up.
• New York has a 1-2 record in their last three home games. In this stretch, they averaged 3 goals per game while allowing 4. The team also performed well vs the puck line at 2-1.
• As the betting underdog, the Islanders have an puck line record of 3-0 in their last three games. In these matchups their, straight up record was 2-1.
• Going back to their previous ten games as the favorite, Washington has an puck line mark of 2-8 while going 9-1 straight up.

Capitals vs Islanders Prediction

For a moneyline bet, I’m backing the Capitals to secure a victory over the Islanders on the road. With the moneyline currently set at +130, I’m locking in my bet on the Capitals straight-up.

Our projections have the Capitals pulling out a win as the underdog. But if you’re not as bullish as we are on the Capitals, we’d recommend at least getting a bet down on them to cover the puck line.

If you’re looking at the over/under line set at 5.5 goals, our prediction is that this game will exceed that mark, and we strongly advise placing a bet on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.