by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Dec 01, 2021
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington D.C.
Where to watch: NBC Sports Washington, NBC Sports Chicago, SportsNet
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Capitals -210, Blackhawks +170
BetMGM: Capitals -200, Blackhawks +165
Caesars: Capitals -200, Blackhawks +170
Season record
Blackhawks: 7-12-2 (7th place, Central Division)
Capitals: 14-4-5 (1st place, Metropolitan Division)
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Blackhawks - Capitals preview and analysis
Recent form
Blackhawks: 6-4-0 in last 10; lost 2-0 vs. Sharks on Sunday
Capitals: 7-2-1 in last 10; lost 5-4 at Panthers on Tuesday
The top-of-the-league Washington Capitals will try to bounce back on home ice when they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday in the Nation’s Capital.
Washington is coming off a 5-4 loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday that featured a 3-goal lead for the Capitals which evaporated in the third period. Florida outshot Washington 27-2 in the final frame and had a three-game winning streak end in emphatic fashion.
Alex Ovechkin will get the opportunity to reach career goal No. 750 at home, likely against longtime rival Marc-Andre Fleury in net for Chicago.
"It was work," Washington coach Peter Laviolette said. "There is nothing else I can say. We stopped working. They worked hard. We stopped working and that is how you get outshot [27-2]."
The Capitals’ surge to being the top team in the league is not by accident, but it helps that the 36-year-old Ovechkin is playing at a Hart Trophy level. The greatest goal scorer of our generation is one off the lead behind Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl and is one power play goal from tying Dave Andreychuk for most all-time with 274.
Washington is 6-2 in its last eight as a favorite on the moneyline; only in their last games against the Carolina Hurricanes and Panthers saw the Capitals as underdogs, but Washington won outright against powerhouse Carolina. Offense has also picked up in recent weeks for the Caps, scoring at least four goals in four straight games.
The Blackhawks would love to have some sort of excitement of that magnitude, but instead they’re just trying to win in the post-Jeremy Colliton era. After winning four in a row, the Blackhawks have gone 2-3 in their past five and are coming off a 2-0 shutout loss to the San Jose Sharks last time out on Sunday.
"First period, I thought we were all over them," Chicago coach Derek King said. "Second period, we kind of changed the way we wanted to play, and it cost us a little bit. We spent too much time in our zone. Third period, I thought we turned it around. And for the most part, I think that's one of the best games we've played all year."
Prediction
If Fleury does start against Washington, it tends to have flashbacks of the Pittsburgh Penguins days where Fleury would ultimately get the last laugh. The Capitals need to be better on the penalty kill, but I have a feeling given the situation, it’s going to be a historic night for Ovechkin and it’s only fitting he scores one more time on Fleury. Home team gets it done. Capitals win 5-2
Betting trends
The Blackhawks are 1-6 in their last seven when the opponent allows five or more the previous game.
The Blackhawks are 7-1 in their last eight after being held to two goals or less the last game.
The Capitals are 5-1 in their last six against Central Division teams.
The Blackhawks have lost eight straight in Washington.
Projected lines
Blackhawks:
Brandon Hagel -- Jonathan Toews -- Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat -- Kirby Dach -- Dominik Kubalik
Philipp Kurashev -- Henrik Borgstrom -- Ryan Carpenter
Reese Johnson -- Dylan Strome -- Jujhar Khaira
Calvin de Haan -- Seth Jones
Jake McCabe -- Connor Murphy
Wyatt Kalynuk -- Erik Gustafsson
Marc-Andre Fleury
Capitals:
Alex Ovechkin -- Evgeny Kuznetsov -- Aliaksei Protas
Daniel Sprong -- Lars Eller -- Tom Wilson
Carl Hagelin -- Nic Dowd -- Garnet Hathaway
Brett Leason -- Michael Sgarbossa -- Beck Malenstyn
Martin Fehervary -- John Carlson
Dmitry Orlov -- Nick Jensen
Dennis Cholowski -- Trevor van Riemsdyk
Ilya Samsonov
Statistical leaders
Blackhawks:
Points: Patrick Kane -- 18
Goals: Alex DeBrincat -- 12
Assists: Seth Jones -- 15
TOI: Seth Jones -- 25:43
Goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury -- 5-9-0, 2.91 GAA, .914 SV%
Capitals:
Points: Alex Ovechkin -- 37
Goals: Alex Ovechkin -- 19
Assists: Evgeny Kuznetsov -- 20
TOI: John Carlson -- 23:19
Goalie: Ilya Samsonov -- 9-1-1, 2.52 GAA, .915 SV%
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
