Sean Maloney
The Washington Capitals will be looking to stay one step ahead in the race for first place in the Metropolitan Division standings when they visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday as -150 road favorites on the NHL odds at BetOnline. The Capitals opened their current three-game road trip with a 3-2 victory in Buffalo on Saturday, and have now posted wins in three of their past four outings. Listed as +136 underdogs in Wednesday’s contest, the Blackhawks return home after dropping a heartbreaking 5-4 decision in Toronto on Saturday night, and have also lost two straight on home ice.
MyTopSportsbooks takes a look at all the odds and trends ahead of Wednesday night’s matchup at United Center. Sports bettors getting in on NHL betting action for the first time should check out our Stanley Cup betting guide, and and our guide to the best NHL hockey betting sites.
| NHL Odds |  |
| Washington Capitals | -150 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | +136 |
Washington Capitals vs Chicago Blackhawks
Wednesday, December 15, 7:30pm ET
United Center
Team Records
Capitals: 17-5-6, 40 points (1st place, Metropolitan Division)
Blackhawks: 10-15-2, 22 points (7th place, Central Division)
Capitals vs Blackhawks Betting Trends
Wednesday night’s matchup at United Center marks the second and final meeting of the season between these clubs. The Blackhawks eked out a narrow 4-3 win in Washington on December 2, and have now taken home the victory in three of five dates with the Capitals, including dominating wins in two of their past three clashes with Washington on home ice. High scoring has been commonplace when these teams meet, with at least six goals being scored in each of their past seven matchups. That has fueled a steady 6-0-3 run for the OVER in totals betting. That high-scoring trend has also extended to the Capitals’ recent outings, with the OVER going 8-2 in their past 10 outings. Conversely, Chicago’s inconsistent scoring has favored the UNDER, which has gone 5-3 in the club’s past eight outings.
Washington Capitals News & Notes
The Capitals have been positioned among the highest-scoring teams in the NHL throughout the first third of the NHL season, but goals have come at a premium in recent outings. The club needed a tying goal late in the third period and a shootout to steal the win in Buffalo on Saturday, and has now scored three or fewer goals in three of their past four outings.
Martin Fehervary scored the tying goal for the Capitals in the third period, and they handed the Sabres their seventh straight loss, 3-2 in a shootout.https://t.co/RlOZf9Sv3r
— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) December 12, 2021
The club’s power outage coincides with what is quickly becoming the least productive stretch of the season so far for leading scorer Alex Ovechkin. “Great 8” has captured the spotlight this season while continuing his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal scoring record. The nine-time Maurice Richard Trophy winner has placed himself in the thick of the NHL scoring race with 20 goals, but has managed to find the back of the net just once over his past six outings.
(Caps Outsider)
Alex Ovechkin is the greatest goal-scorer of all time, whether or not he has Wayne Gretzky’s National Hockey League record. That said, it’s useful to explore how the record — 894 — got to be what it is.https://t.co/0pMUEdl0Wj— Shop WSH Hockey (@ShopWSHHockey) December 6, 2021
With no other Capitals player yet to reach the 10-goal mark, Ovechkin’s scoring slump raises concerns. However, Ilya Samsonov has been steady in the Capitals crease in recent road contests. Expected to get the call on Wednesday night, Samsonov has compiled a 5-1-0 road record, including a pair of shutouts.
Following a red-hot start to the NHL season, Alex Ovechkin has emerged as a high-value dark horse to win the Hart Trophy for the fourth time in his career
Chicago Blackhawks News & Notes
The Blackhawks enjoyed an extended break after seeing Monday’s schedule date with Calgary postponed due to a Covid-19 outbreak within the Flames organization. The extra time off has given the club two additional days to stew over their blown opportunity in Toronto on Saturday. The Blackhawks turned in a character performance while overcoming a three-goal deficit before seeing their chance to win snuffed out with a late goal by former teammate David Kampf.
David Kampf 4th of the Season vs Chicago Blackhawks with commentary from Joe Bowen and Jim Ralph. #LeafsForever @BonsieTweets @Jim_Ralph
11/12/2021 pic.twitter.com/fgv3JJoHpe
— LeafsJellyHD (@LeafsJelly) December 12, 2021
The loss extends a steady run of inconsistency for Chicago, which has failed to record consecutive wins while going 5-6-0 over their past 11. Despite those recent struggles, the Blackhawks have improved enormously since opening the campaign on a 1-9-2 run, during which they were outscored by a wide 47-26 overall margin. The club has earned the win in each of their past five contests that have gone to overtime or shootout, and in seven of their past nine games settled by a single goal.
Chicago #Blackhawks scoring leaders:
1. Seth Jones – 23 points
2. Patrick Kane – 22 points
3. Alex DeBrincat – 20 pointsChicago #Blackhawks goal scoring leaders:
1. Alex DeBrincat – 14 goals
2. Brandon Hagel – 8 goals
3. Patrick Kane – 7 goals— DaWindyCityFS (@DaWindyCityFS) December 14, 2021
However, the team’s top point-getters have struggled of late with Seth Jones, Patrick Kane, and Alex DeBrincat combing to score just three total assists over the past three games. DeBrincat also remains the lone Blackhawks shooter to date to crack double digits in scoring, notching 14 goals to date, but just two markers in his past five home appearances.
Best Bets: Capitals (-150) at BetOnline; UNDER 5.5 (-128)
