by Amedeus Mastrangelo
Sunday, Apr 17, 2022
Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Monday, April 18, 2022
Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Where to Watch: NHL Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline: Capitals +170, Avalanche -200; Over/Under: 6.5 goals
Bet365: Moneyline: Capitals +165, Avalanche -200; Over/Under: 6.5 goals
BetMGM: Moneyline: Capitals +165, Avalanche -200; Over/Under: 6.5 goals
Season Record
Washington Capitals: 42-23-10 (4th place, Metropolitan Division)
Colorado Avalanche: 55-14-6 (1st place, Central Division)
Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Will Rogers is on a RUN of 68-41 ALL NHL! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.
Washington Capitals vs Colorado Avalanche Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
Washington Capitals: 7-3-0 last 10
Colorado Avalanche: 9-0-1 last 10
Washington Capitals Analysis
The Capitals are coming into this game with 94 points, a 42-23-10 record overall, and they are 23-8-5 in their road games this regular season where they will be in this game. They have won 5 of their last 6 games and are coming into this one off of a win in their last game. Their last loss was against the Toronto Maple Leafs while their 5 wins in that span came against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Boston Bruins, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Montreal Canadiens in their last game. They won that game on the road 8-4. Anthony Mantha scored 2 goals in that game while Dmitry Orlov, Nic Dowd, Garnet Hathaway, T. J. Oshie, Alexander Ovechkin, and Justin Schultz each scored 1 goal in that one. Anthony Mantha and T. J. Oshie led the team in shots on net in that game with 5 each. Vitek Vanecek was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 32 shots with 28 saves and a .875 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 260 goals this season averaging 3.5 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 223 goals against them allowing 3 goals per game.
Colorado Avalanche Analysis
The Avalanche are coming into this game with 116 points, a 55-14-6 record overall, and they are 31-4-3 in their home games this regular season where they will be in this game. They have won 10 of their last 11 games and are coming into this one on a 9 game winning streak. Their last loss was against the Minnesota Wild while their 10 wins in that span came against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Calgary Flames, the San Jose Sharks, the Pittsburgh Penguins twice, the Winnipeg Jets, the Edmonton Oilers, the Los Angeles Kings, the New Jersey Devils, and the Carolina Hurricanes in their last game. They won that game at home 7-4. J. T. Compher and Nathan MacKinnon both scored 2 goals each in that game while Mikko Rantanen, Alex Newhook, and Ben Meyers each scored 1 goal in that one. Nathan MacKinnon led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Darcy Kuemper was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 33 shots with 29 saves and a .879 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 294 goals this season averaging 3.9 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 206 goals against them allowing 2.7 goals per game.
Capitals vs Avalanche Prediction
The Avalanche are coming into this game playing very well in their recent games and they are currently the best team in the NHL as they lead everyone in points. They are on pace to break a franchise record for the most points in a season ever and they only need 1 more win to tie that at 118 points. They have won their last 9 straight games and they have been smashing teams in that span, winning their last 3 straight by 2 or more goals. They have also beaten some of the top teams in the NHL in that span and they are scoring a lot of goals right now as they have scored 19 goals in their last 3 games. They are going up against a Capitals team that has also been playing very well recently winning 5 of their last 6 games and they have also scored a lot in their recent games. They have scored 20 goals in their last 3 games and are coming off of an 8-4 win on Saturday while the Avalanche are coming off of a 7-4 win. Both of these teams have been scoring so much recently that the best bet in this game is on the over here. The Avalanche will also be determined to break their franchise record so they will keep gaining steam until that is done, they should win this game.
Capitals Avalanche Prediction: Our NHL Pick for Monday, April 18, 2022 (9:00 pm ET start time) is Avalanche 6 Capitals 4.
Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Washington Capitals Colorado Avalanche prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NHL predictions and previews.
NHL Betting Trends
Washington Capitals: 26-27 (-10.5u) ML after playing 2 consecutive road games. 35-29 (-6.6u) ML off a road win. 124-81 OVER in all games.
Colorado Avalanche: 151-75 (+26.8u) ML in all games. 50-17 (+13.6u) ML in a home game where the total is 6 or more. 12-2 OVER off 3 or more consecutive home wins.
Key Injuries
Washington Capitals: C. Hagelin (LW) Out indefinitely - Face injury. J. Snively (LW) Out indefinitely - Wrist injury.
Colorado Avalanche: N. Kadri (C) Early May - Upper Body injury. R. Murray (D) Out indefinitely - Hand injury. G. Landeskog (LW) Early May - Knee injury.
Notable Quotes
"It's really good [for confidence], especially in games like these in Montreal. My family and friends are here, I can't wait to see them. I'll try to continue on that run and build up as much confidence for the playoffs." - Anthony Mantha after their win against the Canadiens on Saturday night.
“The overall race, like I’ve said before, it’s not the be-all, end-all, but it’s something that we had as a goal from the start of the season — to put ourselves in the best position to succeed. Lot of hockey yet to be played, but I like the way our guys are digging in.” - Jared Bednar after his team’s win against the Hurricanes on Saturday night.
Starting Lineups
Washington Capitals
LW Ovechkin, Alex
C Evgeny Kuznetsov
RW Sheary, Conor
LD Fehérváry, Martin
RD Carlson, John
G Vanecek, Vitek
Colorado Avalanche
LW Burakovsky, André
C Nathan MacKinnon
RW Rantanen, Mikko
LD Toews, Devon
RD Makar, Cale
G Kuemper, Darcy
Statistical Leaders
Washington Capitals
Points: A. Ovechkin (86)
Goals: A. Ovechkin (47)
Assists: J. Carlson (52)
GAA: V. Vanecek (2.67)
Colorado Avalanche
Points: M. Rantanen (91)
Goals: M. Rantanen (36)
Assists: N. Kadri (57)
GAA: D. Kuemper (2.41)
Coaches:
Washington Capitals: Peter Laviolette (2nd season)
Colorado Avalanche: Jared Bednar (6th season)
Amedeus Mastrangelo
About the Author:
Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.
