NHL Betting Picks, Odds, And Preview: Washington Capitals vs New York Islanders

History will have to wait a little longer as Alex Ovechkin went scoreless on Saturday against Philadelphia in what could have been a milestone night for the Washington Capitals star captain. With two more left before becoming a member of the NHL 700-goal club, Ovechkin was completely shut down by the Flyers defense which also served the Capitals their worst defeat of the season. But the Russian superstar is not bothered at all as the chance to barge to the historic club comes on Monday when Washington ends their four-game homestand against the New York Islanders.

Washington Capitals

What was supposed to be a historic evening turned utterly gloomy as the Capitals suffered a 7-2 obliteration at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers. Goalie Braden Holtby has been criticized for his subpar showing in the last two months for Washington. But the club’s leader in points John Carlson is not one to dwell on the poor play of his teammate, cutting Holtby some slack as he lauded him with his effort for the team. In 37 games played, Holtby accounted for 945 saves at 89 percent success rate. The Capitals will be on a serious mission as they also try to regain the ultimate ascendancy at the NHL standings from the Boston Bruins.

New York Islanders

All eyes will once again turn to Alex Ovechkin’s historic feat and the Capitals’ attempt to rebound from a forgettable defeat to step right back into the win column. With these storylines shadowing the Islanders, it will be tough for New York to steal the show. But Anthony Beauvillier and the rest of the crew are obviously up to the challenge. Beauvillier is riding a five-game point streak where he collected three points and three assists that include a set-up of Derick Brassard's power-play goal in the deciding period that came too late as the Islanders fell to a 3-1 defeat against Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Odds and Trends

Ovechkin and the Capitals are projected to bounce-back strong with the NHL Betting Lines backing them at -180 to win. In effect, the visiting Islanders are tagged as slight underdogs with a +160 money line price.

The Capitals are 16-5 in their last 21 games following a home loss of 3 or more goals and 6-2 in their last 8 games playing on 1 days rest.

The Islanders are 10-4 in their last 14 when their opponent allows 5 goals or more in their previous game and 1-5 in their last 6 vs. a team with a winning record.

Over is 5-0-1 in Capitals last 6 vs. Eastern Conference and 5-0 in Islanders last 5 when their opponent allows 5 goals or more in their previous game.

Under is 13-2-1 in Islanders last 16 Monday games.

Prediction

Money line: Islanders

Total: Under