Friday’s NHL Opening Odds
(The Spread) – A light NHL schedule Friday sees four games, but it includes one between a pair of red-hot teams in the Washington Capitals and the host New Jersey Devils.
Washington comes into play with a 41-21-10 overall record and a 19-13-3 road mark, while New Jersey has a record of 33-33-4 and is 18014-3 in home contests. Oddsmakers and online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Devils -130 favorites, while the over-under is set at 5. Play begins at 7:00PM EST.
According to the latest trends, New Jersey is 6-5 against the spread versus Washington over the last three seasons. Six of 11 games in this series have gone over the totals the last three seasons. New Jersey is 10-2 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season.
New Jersey is 7-3-0 in its last 10 contests, but had its three-game winning streak snapped Thursday with a 3-1 loss at Ottawa. Washington had a nine-game win streak ended Wednesday with a 3-2 defeat at Detroit.
Alex Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 29 goals and 46 assists, while teammate Nicklas Backstrom has 17 goals and 38 assists. Patrik Elias paces the Devils with 16 goals along with 36 assists.
In other NHL action, the Carolina Hurricanes host the New York Islanders at 7:00PM EST. Carolina is -180 favorites and the over-under is 5.5. Vancouver is home against Phoenix at 10:00PM EST. The Canucks are -200 favorites, while the over-under is listed at 5.5.
NHL Hockey Opening Lines & Totals for Friday, March 18
1 Washington Capitals +110 (5)
2 New Jersey Devils -130
5 New York Islanders +160 (5.5)
6 Carolina Hurricanes -180
7 Phoenix Coyotes +170 (5.5)
8 Vancouver Canucks -200
Want More From TheSpread.com? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook or Subscribe to Our News Feeds!