The Capitals and Lightning – two teams who were expected to compete for division titles at the start of the year – have been floundering and giving way to teams like the Senators and Blue Jackets. The Eastern Conference has been incredibly competitive thus far and this matchup between the Caps and Lightning is a huge one heading into the Christmas break.
- The Lightning are 1-7 in their last 8 games on the road.
- The Capitals are 5-1 in their last 6 games after consecutive losses.
- The Lightning are 1-5 in their last 6 games against the Capitals.
Although the Caps have been pretty good in the scheme of things, their success is being overshadowed by what the Penguins, Rangers and Blue Jackets have been able to do in the Metropolitan. The perception of many is that this Washington team has regressed but it really hasn’t. Braden Holtby is 14-7-3 with a .926 save percentage and the Caps have allowed the third-fewest goals in the league. With a ton of games in hand, Washington is primed to make a second-half run if you’re looking for a division futures bet.
The game tonight is pretty cut and dried. Washington has owned Tampa in head-to-head matchups and the Caps are really good (11-5) at home. Offense has been tough to come by for the Lightning without Steven Stamkos leading the way and they could be hard pressed to get anything past the stout backline in Washington this evening.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Washington Capitals bring a 19-8-4 record to the battle against the 17-14-3 Lightning. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen Washington go 12-12-7 so far and the Lightning go 16-13-5. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Washington vs Tampa Bay injuries news.
The NHL Power Rankings at Odds Shark show the No. 10-rated Tampa Bay Lightning taking on the No. 8-rated Washington Capitals in this contest.
Statistical Matchup
Offensively, the game matches up the Washington Capitals No. 14-ranked offense (2.68 goals per game) against a Tampa Bay Lightning defense that ranks No. 15 at 2.76 goals per game allowed. The Capitals Sportsbook has clicked at a 19.39% rate while the Lightning have a 79.31% rate on the penalty kill.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
In their last action, Tampa Bay was a 5-2 Sportsbook at home against the Blues. Bettors on Tampa Bay at -107 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (7) sent OVER bettors home happy as well.
Washington lost its last outing, a 3-2 result against the Flyers on December 21. Bettors who backed the Flyers at +111 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (5) sent PUSH bettors to the payout window.
- Tampa Bay is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
- Tampa Bay is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games
- Tampa Bay is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
- Washington is 5-15 ATS in its last 20 games
- Washington is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
- Washington is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
- Washington is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
Tampa Bay home to Montreal, Wednesday, December 28th
Washington at New York, Tuesday, December 27th
