The red hot Ottawa Senators host the equally hot Washington Capitals, Thursday Feb 11, as both teams look to rebound after having their double digit win streaks snapped. The teams are meeting for the third time this season after splitting the first two. NHL oddsmakers at SPORTSBETTING.com have the Capitals as -130 moneyline road favorites over the Senators (+110) with the over/under set at 6 goals . Be sure to get your Washington Capitals vs Ottawa Senators NHL Predictions in now at SPORTSBETTING.com
The Capitals (41-12-4-2) had their 14 game win streak snapped with a 5-6 (OT) loss in Montreal. The Caps are 18-9-2-1 on the road where they average 3.77 GAG and allow 2.90 GAG. They got goals from Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom and Brooks Laich got his first hat trick. Goalie Jose Theodore stopped 21 of 25 shots before he was pulled. Backup goalie Michal Neuvirth stopped 12 of 14. Theodore is 9-1 in his last ten with a 2.90 GAA. Overall he’s 20-7-5 with a 2.94 GAA and a .906 SVPCT. "We always battle hard," coach Bruce Boudreau said after his team nearly overcame three-goal deficits to win back-to-back games. "Normally we'd say that was a good point, but we were trying to do something special so it's a deflating loss. I think it was 7 seconds left to get to the shootout where we would have felt pretty confident tonight that we would have been successful, but those things happen." Just about everyone on the Caps is red hot . But no one has been hotter than Alex Ovechkin, who extended his points streak to eight games with a pair of assists on Wednesday. He has 9 goals and 18pts during their winning run.
The Senators (34-22-1-3) have won nine of ten and have won six straight at home. They are 22-8-1-2 at home where they average 3.03 GAG and allow 2.33 GAG. They recently beat Calgary 3-2 at home. They got goals from Alexei Kovalev , Jarkko Ruutu and Jason Spezza. Goalie Brian Elliott stopped 27 of 29 shots and is 9-1 in his last ten starts with a 1.70 GAA. Overall he’s 20-12-3 with a 2.49 GAA and a .912 SVPCT. The challenge of trying to slow down the Capitals is one that the Sens are eagerly looking forward to. "I guess you could say that," Senators coach Cory Clouston said Wednesday with a grin that suggested he's eagerly anticipating the opportunity to defuse the NHL's highest-scoring attack. "They're playing very well. They're playing with a lot of confidence, they've got a lot of weapons and some good goaltending. So it's going to be a tough challenge." Ovechkin had one of the greatest nights of his career in an 8-6 victory at Ottawa on Dec. 29, 2007. He scored four goals and added an assist that night. Since then, the Caps have lost their last three visits to Scotiabank Place — and Ovechkin had just one assist in the three games.
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Home team is 12-2 in the last 14 meetings.
- Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
- Capitals are 7-3 in the last 10 meetings.
- Capitals are 3-8 in the last 11 meetings in Ottawa.
- Capitals are 4-0 in their last 4 vs. a team with a winning record.
- Capitals are 4-0 in their last 4 games playing on 0 days rest.
- Senators are 8-0 in their last 8 games as an underdog.
- Senators are 4-0 in their last 4 games as an underdog of +110 to +150.
Washington Capitals vs Ottawa Senators
When: Thurs, Feb 11, 2010 7:00 PM ET
Line: SPORTSBETTING.com
Pick: Sens +110
Point-Spreads.com Washington Capitals vs Ottawa Senators NHL Predictions
The Bottom Line: The Sens will win on home ice, they have just as much talent as the Caps. Be sure to get your Washington Capitals vs Ottawa Senators NHL Predictions in now at SPORTSBETTING.com and Cash in with sign-up bonuses, weekly reload bonuses and free payouts at SPORTSBETTING.com, where betting is safe, secure and easy.
