NHL: San Jose Sharks vs Washington Capitals Prediction, Odds & Best Bets

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29 October 2023

NHL: San Jose Sharks vs Washington Capitals Prediction, Odds & Best Bets

We have a small 4 game slate this Sunday and we’re going to talk about “The One Where We Should Make Some Free Coin.” RIP to the great Matthew Perry as the world lost a legend yesterday.

The Washington Capitals (3-3-1) will take on the San Jose Sharks (0-7-1) at the Capital One Arena. The Caps are on a 2-game win streak while the Sharks are still trying to figure out how to win their 1st game.

Washington has had an ok start to the season. Alex Ovechkin has started off a little slow with only 2 goals but leads the team with 6 points. Ovechkin is still chasing Gretzky’s record for most goals all time.

The Capitals have a deep team with some good role players who are all healthy (for once). Dylan Strome, John Carlson and Evgeny Kuznetsov have all been active on offense to start the season. If guys like TJ Oshie, Anthony Mantha and Nicklas Backstrom, can come around to their form, the Caps could be cooking with some steam.

Being in, what one could argue to be the toughest division in hockey, the Capitals will have their work cut out for them. They currently sit 7th in the Metro, but we have plenty of time to go.

Can the Sharks turn things around this season, or should they just throw in the towel?

It’s been a rough start for the Sharks. They’re yet to get a win in their first 8 games this season. They have only scored more than 1 goal in only 1 game this season and have been outscored 32-8. They even put up a goose egg twice.

San Jose has had some tough opponents so far in the Avs, Bruins, Knights and Canes. Although they were obviously not favored in any of those games, they only were able to score on the Canes, netting 3.

It is still early into the season, but the Sharks need to figure something out before things get out of hand. The further down the standings they get, the harder it will be to dig out.

Their offense and defense really need a revamp. They rank in the bottom of the league for goals allowed per game and shots on goal allowed per game on defense and rank last for goals scored per game.

Pucks should be flying in this game, but it may only be from one side. Let’s get into the odds and the plays for this game.

Betting Odds

Puck Line

San Jose Sharks +1.5 (-130)
Washington Capitals -1.5 (+108)

Moneyline

San Jose Sharks +184
Washington Capitals -225

Totals

Over 5.5 (-134)
Under 5.5 (+110)

Game Information

Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington DC
Date: Sunday, October 29, 2023
Puck Drop: 5pm EST
TV: NBCS-CA, MNMT

San Jose Sharks vs Washington Capitals Prediction and Picks

Prediction and Pick: Washington Capitals -1.5 (+108)

The Sharks are 1-7 ATS this season and based on their performances, it only makes sense to ride against. Their defense has just horrendous this year and the Capitals have weapons.

This is a good spot for the Capitals to keep their streak going and they’ll be looking to. Darcy Kuemper will be in net and has split his games at 2-2-1 so far. Great spot for him to get a solid W and boost the confidence.

I like Washington to shoot and shoot a lot. This should be a great game for shots on goal vs Mackenzie Blackwood in net. He is 0-4-1 this year with a save % of .897. He has faced over 34+ shots in 4 out of his 5 games this year.

The plus money on the Puck Line is great value right now. It should move to more even money closer to game time. We’re going to fade the Sharks based on their performance this year and hoping for it to be sweat free.

Player Prop: Alex Ovechkin Anytime Goal Scorer (-105)

He has scored in 2 of their last 3 games and at least 1 point in his last 5 games. He is definitely starting to heat up out there and find his spots.

In his last game vs San Jose last year, he scored 2 goals on 4 shots on goal. He also has 2, 2 goal games in his last 4 goals against them with a hat trick years ago.

This Sharks team in vulnerable and Ovi is coming for that record. Great game for him to add a few to his total. The value on the line is nice and leads you to believe the sportsbooks think he will score too.