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The Montreal Canadiens (2-2-1) and Washington Capitals (3-2-0) will meet in the NHL tonight. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. EDT at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. The game will broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Capitals are favored at -130 on the moneyline, with the Canadiens at +108 to pull off the upset. The over/under is set at 6.5 (-115 / -105).
Let's get into our Canadiens vs. Capitals predictions and NHL picks.
Canadiens vs. Capitals Prediction
- Pick: Over 6.5 (-115)
Our Montreal vs. Washington best bet is on game totals, with the best odds currently available at FanDuel. For all of your NHL bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NHL odds page.
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Canadiens vs Capitals Odds
| Canadiens Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -215 | 6.5 -115o / -105u | +108 |
| Capitals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +172 | 6.5 -115o / -105u | -130 |
- Canadiens vs. Capitals puck line: Canadiens +1.5 (-215), Capitals -1.5 (+172)
- Canadiens vs. Capitals over/under: 6.5 (-115 / -105)
- Canadiens vs. Capitals moneyline: Canadiens +108, Capitals -130
- Canadiens vs. Capitals best bet: Over 6.5 (-115)
Canadiens vs. Capitals Preview
While the Capitals' offensive depth is excellent, their back-end has some meaningful question marks entering Wednesday's matchup versus a speedy Canadiens side with some elite scoring threats.
Matt Roy is the Capitals' best shutdown defender by a fair margin, while Rasmus Sandin has also been quite important to the blue line when healthy in recent years. Jakob Chychrun and Cole Hutson are well adept at driving offense, but are not nearly as effective in their own zone.
Pierre-Luc Dubois is also the Capitals' best defensive forward, and his status for Wednesday's matchup is uncertain due to injury.
Washington has allowed 4.05 xGA/60 throughout the first six games of the season, and forced Vezina-caliber netminder Logan Thompson to handle a notably tough workload. As Thompson started Tuesday, it will be backup Charlie Lindgren getting the start in this matchup, and Lindgren is a clear downgrade.
Despite making the Eastern Conference Final last season, the Canadiens were not overly strong defensively, and have allowed 3.72 xGA/60 throughout their first six games this year. Washington has meaningful offensive upside on every line, and should be able to generate some high-quality looks in this matchup.
Best Bet: Over 6.5 (-115 — FanDuel, Play to -120)
