Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Venue: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB
Where to Watch: ESPN+
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline: Capitals -148, Flames +124; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Bet365: Moneyline: Capitals -150, Flames +125; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
BetMGM: Moneyline: Capitals -150, Flames +125; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Season Record
Washington Capitals: 33-11-5 (1st place, Metropolitan Division)
Calgary Flames: 24-17-7 (4th place, Pacific Division)
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Recent Form
Washington Capitals: 7-1-2 last 10
Calgary Flames: 6-4-0 last 10
Washington Capitals vs Calgary Flames Preview and Analysis
The Capitals are entering this game with 71 points, a 33-11-5 record overall, and they are 17-7-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Vancouver Canucks in their last game, losing that one on the road 2-1. Pierre-Luc Dubois scored 1 goal for them in that one. Connor McMichael and Aliaksei Protas each led the team in assists with 1 while Alexander Ovechkin led the team in shots on net in that game with 7. Charlie Lindgren was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 25 shots with 23 saves and a .920 save percentage. Their offense has scored 171 goals this season averaging 3.5 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 118 goals against them allowing 2.4 goals per game.
The Flames are entering this game with 55 points, a 24-17-7 record overall, and they are 15-6-3 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Winnipeg Jets in their last game, losing that one on the road 5-2. Nazem Kadri and MacKenzie Weegar each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Jake Bean, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Yegor Sharangovich each led the team in assists with 1 while Yegor Sharangovich, MacKenzie Weegar, Blake Coleman, and Andrei Kuzmenko each led the team in shots on net in that game with 3. Dan Vladar was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 5 goals on 27 shots with 22 saves and a .815 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 132 goals this season averaging 2.8 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 143 goals against them allowing 3 goals per game.
Capitals vs Flames Prediction
The current betting odds have the Capitals listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Capitals have looked great in their games this season with their 33-11-5 record overall which leads their division in the East with the best record in the entire NHL. They have also been a great road team this year with their 17-7-1 road record. Meanwhile, the Flames have looked good in their games this season with their 24-17-7 record overall which has them in 4th place of their division in the West and in the playoff race. They have looked a lot better on home ice too with their 15-6-3 home record, but they are coming off a bad loss in their last one. They are coming off a loss to the Jets in their last one and that loss came on the road, but they have been a really up and down team this season, struggling with better opponents. Now they have the best team in the NHL coming into town here and it isn't a good situation since the Caps are coming off a tight loss in their last one. The Caps will be looking to bounce back from that loss as it snapped a 6 game winning streak they were on, and they have still been really hot lately with their 7-1-2 record in their last 10 games. The Flames have looked a lot better on home ice this season and will also be looking to bounce back here, but they have been giving up a lot of goals in their last few games and that won't go well for them against one of the best defensive teams in the league. The Caps will be able to shut the Flames down as their offense isn't that strong and it will be enough for the Caps to edge out another road win. The best way to place a bet here is on the Capitals to win this game.
Capitals Flames Prediction: Our NHL Pick for Tuesday, January 28, 2025 (9:00 pm ET start time) is Capitals 3 Flames 1.
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NHL Betting Trends
Washington Capitals: 21-16 (+4 units) on the moneyline after 3 or more consecutive unders. 55-51 (+6.9 units) on the moneyline after 1 or more consecutive losses. 22-25 (+4.4 units) on the moneyline against good starting goalies - saving 91.5% of shots against or more. 15-8 UNDER in a road game where the total is 5.5. 16-7 UNDER after playing 3 consecutive road games.
Calgary Flames: 100-111 (-51.5 units) on the moneyline in all games. 46-58 (-28.2 units) on the moneyline after playing a road game. 58-66 (-15.9 units) on the moneyline against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game. 19-12 UNDER when playing their 3rd game in 4 days.
Key Injuries
Washington Capitals: S. Milano (LW) Out - Upper-body. N. Backstrom (C) Out For Season - Hip. T. Oshie (RW) Out For Season - Back.
Calgary Flames: K. Bahl (D) Day To Day - Undisclosed. C. Zary (C) Out - Lower-body. J. Kirkland (C) Out For Season - Lower-body. A. Mantha (RW) Out For Season - Lower-Body.
Notable Quotes
“Against a team that defends really hard, really structured, big, strong, physical, there's not a lot of real estate, and we did some good things, but when you're playing against a goaltender like that, you're going to have to work your way to the inside for screens, tips. I just felt like it was one of those games tonight where we didn't do a good enough job getting to the inside, and they did on two plays, and that's the difference.” - Spencer Carbery after his team’s loss against the Canucks in their game on Saturday.
“There were certain situations where I felt we could use a save, which isn’t something we have said a lot this year.” - Ryan Huska after his team’s loss against the Jets in their game on Sunday.
Starting Lineups
Washington Capitals
LW Alex Ovechkin
C Dylan Strome
RW Tom Wilson
LD Rasmus Sandin
RD John Carlson
G Logan Thompson
Calgary Flames
LW Jonathan Huberdeau
C Nazem Kadri
RW Jakob Pelletier
LD Joel Hanley
RD Rasmus Andersson
G Dustin Wolf
Statistical Leaders
Washington Capitals
Points: D. Strome (46)
Goals: A. Ovechkin (22)
Assists: D. Strome (34)
GAA: L. Thompson (2.09)
Calgary Flames
Points: J. Huberdeau (36)
Goals: J. Huberdeau (19)
Assists: M. Weegar (19)
GAA: D. Wolf (2.54)
Coaches:
Washington Capitals: Spencer Carbery (2nd season)
Calgary Flames: Ryan Huska (3rd season)