NHL Highs & Lows: Capital Gains in Washington

The Washington Capitals are closing in on first place in the Metropolitan Division. The Boston Bruins followed up their win over Pittsburgh in Winter Classic by winning all three games in a recent California road trip. Boston continues to lead the NHL in wins and points. NHL playoff odds have the Bruins as the favorites in Stanley Cup odds.

The Boston Bruins are 11-0-3 in their last 14 games. They are the top team in the NHL with 68 points, 32 wins and 27 regulation wins. David Pastrnak has 13 goals in last 15 games, including three goals and an assist in Sunday's win at Anaheim.

Washington Capitals are within five points of the lead in the Metropolitan Division. They are 8-1-2 over the last 11 games with a +21 goal differential. Erik Gustafsson has taken over as the top puck-moving defenseman for the Capitals. Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Niklas Backstrom made their season debuts in Sunday's win over Columbus.

Winnipeg Jets have the longest active winning streak of five games. Kyle Connor leads the way with five goals and five assists. Pierre-Luc Dubois has three goals, six assists in that time. Connor Hellebuyck is 4-0-1 with a 1.75 goals-against average and .940 save percentage over his last four starts. Jets are coming off a seven-goal performance against Vancouver and they begin a three-game road trip.

The Nashville Predators have been on a scoring spree recently. Nashville has 24 goals in its last five games. Filip Forsberg has five goals and eight points to lead the way.

Toronto Maple Leafs are 11 points behind Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division. Toronto has one of the best records in NHL this season, but the team is just 17-24 against the Las Vegas odds.

Anaheim Ducks lost 7-0 to Boston. The team is struggling on the offensive end and is just 17-24 against the NHL betting lines.

Erik Karlsson has 54 points this season. San Jose is 2-5-2 over the last 9 games and has a 4.44 goals-against average. The Sharks are 4-11-6 at home and 1-4 in shootouts.

Chicago Blackhawks are at the bottom of the NHL standings with just 24 points and seven regulation wins. Chicago is just 3 for 31 on the power play in the last 10 games. The Blackhawks have allowed as many short-handed goals as they have power-play goals during that time.

Montreal Canadiens have been outscored 20-5 in the last three games of the year. Joel Armia scored twice as Montreal won 5-4 against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.

Columbus Blue Jackets have scored just 16 goals over the last nine games. The team is 20 points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.