Capitals vs. Blues Prediction
The defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues will begin their season tonight at home as they entertain the 2018 Stanley Cup champ Washington Capitals. Can St. Louis get the win as favorites on their home ice?
Game Snapshot
3 Washington Capitals at 4 St. Louis Blues
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Scottrade Center at 8:05PM ET
TV: NBCSN
Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers, the Blues are a -145 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Capitals are a +125 underdog, while the total is set at 5.5 goals. As of Wednesday morning, 68 percent of public bets are being placed on visiting Washington. Check out our NHL Public Betting Page for up-to-date information.
Capitals look to refind magic
Washington could not duplicate its playoff success last season from the prior year, turning a 48-26-8 regular season into a first-round exit in the Eastern Conference Playoffs at the hands of Carolina. The Capitals are led by veteran star Alexander Ovechkin (51G, 38A), although he has been slowed by a lower body injury during the preseason. Center Nicklas Backstrom (22G, 52A) and defenseman John Carlson (13G, 57A) are also major contributors. Goaltending duties fall to Braden Holtby (32-19-5, 2.82 GAA, .911 save pct.).
Blues celebrate title in season opener
It is surely to be a racuous environment Wednesday night as defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis opens at home versus Washington. The Blues will have a ring ceremony prior to the game to celebrate their title and the atmosphere is surely to be electric from that point on. After a rough start to the season, the Blues called up rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington more than two months in and the rest was history. St. Louis ended up going 45-28-9 in the regular season and downed Winnipeg in six games in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs. The Blues then topped Dallas in seven games with a 2-1 double OT home win in Game 7 capping it off, while they then proceeded to best San Jose in six games in the conference finals. St. Louis finished it off by downing Boston in the Stanley Cup Finals, winning Game 7 by a count of 4-1 on the road. Binnington ended his regular season last year with a 24-5-1 record, 1.89 GAA and .927 save percentage and will get the majority of the starts between the pipes in 2019-20. Ryan O’Reilly led the Blues’ offense with 28 goals and 49 assists before enjoying a fantastic postseason, while Vladimir Tarasenko contributed 33 goals and 35 assists.
NHL Betting Trends
Washington
The Capitals are 14-4 in their last 18 games versus the Western Conference. Washington is 42-20 in its last 62 Wednesday games.
St. Louis
The Blues are 7-3 in their last 10 games. St. Louis is 20-9 in its last 29 home games.
Prediction:
With the environment of the arena and the confidence the Blues have to be rolling into tonight with, you’d think it would be an easy pick. They even made a nice trade to bring in defenseman Justin Faulk from Carolina. So am I picking St. Louis here? Nope. I’m going with the hangover angle instead. Washington has a veteran core and isn’t going to take many nights easy as it wants to regain status as the NHL’s best team following its run to a title two seasons ago. I’m going to say it puts up a complete performance on the road tonight and sends a St. Louis team that started very slow last season to a loss in its opener.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: WASHINGTON CAPITALS +125