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An extremely light Wednesday in the NHL features just two games, both of which will take place north of the border.
Of the two, the only game that offers any real appeal from a gambling perspective is the contest set to take place in Edmonton between the Oilers and Washington Capitals.
Below you will find an overlay from this game available at PointsBet.
For those unfamiliar with the term “overlay,” it simply refers to odds that are higher than an outcome’s true probability.
For example, if an outcome has a 50% chance of happening, the correlating odds would be +100.
If the odds offered on that specific event are +150, or an implied probability of 40%, then the price would represent an overlay.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS at EDMONTON OILERS
The Washington Capitals showed some mettle last night in Calgary, battling back from a 3-2 third period deficit to defeat the red-hot Flames by a final score of 5-4.
Captain Alex Ovechkin scored twice in the Caps’ victory, tying Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr for career goals at 766, a number that’s good for third-most in NHL history.
Washington has now won three-straight, with quality victories over the Flames and Carolina Hurricanes that would seem to suggest the veteran-laden squad is plenty capable of making another run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Edmonton, on the other hand, has continued to struggle, losing three consecutive games to lowly teams like the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks.
One of the things that’s kept the Oilers afloat following a disastrous stretch of play from early December through mid-January has been their ability to defeat the teams they’re supposed to defeat.
Unfortunately for Connor McDavid and company, these last three games show that they’re still an extremely flawed team and might very well find themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to postseason play.
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A critical aspect of tonight’s game is the goaltending matchup.
Edmonton doesn’t have a goaltender on their roster that can truly be considered a #1, however the key component of this contest pertains to Washington’s backstop.
Vitek Vanecek stopped thirty-one of thirty-five shots against in last night’s win over the Flames, making it highly unlikely that he’d see any playing time this evening.
This likely means that Ilya Samsonov gets the call for Peter Laviolette in Edmonton tonight, something that could be an issue for the Caps.
The last time these two teams faced off against one another, Samsonov allowed three goals on just four shot attempts before being replaced.
In similar fashion, Samsonov was again chased from the crease in his most recent appearance, conceding three goals on ten shots against the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 28.
The Oilers’ goaltending situation is dicey, at best, yet a matchup against Samsonov may be just what Edmonton needs to snap their three-game skid.
It may not be the likeliest outcome, but given the circumstances surrounding tonight’s game, Edmonton’s puck line odds of +180 (implied probability of 35.7%) may be worth considering.
THE PLAYS
Washington Capitals at Edmonton Oilers – Oilers -1.5 (+180)
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