Free Picks: Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals

The Bruins and Capitals are two of the strongest teams in the NHL. With trained snipers on both sides, Boston and Washington have been blessed with high-scoring talents. Washington is among the league’s best in terms of goal scoring, while Boston has players like Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak lighting the lamp at will. Entering Wednesday, these teams are hot on offense – a wave I am looking to ride.

The Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals have squared off on two separate occasions earlier this season. In those two games, the final score totaled 7 and 8 goals, respectively. For a bettor like myself that loves high-scoring games, I find it interesting that the over/under for total goals is 5.5 (888Sport).

When something is too good to be true, it usually is – especially in sports betting. For this BetPicks prediction, I am heavily intrigued by the total goals. However, I can’t understand why the total is so low. Could this be low-hanging fruit for the taking?

Let’s look at goaltending: Vitek Vanecek is the projected starter for Washington. The number one netminder in Washington (for now) has faced a ton of scoring opportunities this season. As for Boston, Tuukka Rask is expected to get the nod.

Nothing is out of the ordinary in terms of goaltending. Looking back at the two previous games this season (between these clubs), Boston had Rask and Halak split both games, while Vanecek started both games for Washington.

Washington is one of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL. Ranked 3rd within the league at 73 goals, the Capitals have torched opposing netminders this season. On top of that, Washington has seen a ton of scoring against them this season. That’s a solid recipe for success.

The Capitals have scored 2 or more goals in 5 straight games. Meanwhile, the Bruins have scored 2 or more goals in 6 straight games. This is interesting because Boston and Washington have not been struggling recently, in terms of offense.

I am surprised the total goals isn’t listed at 6.5 for this game. With previous history showing high-scoring games between Boston and Washington, I think I need to hammer the over in this one.

Evgeny Kuznetsov is expected to return, which is another boost to Washington’s offense. I think with how efficient the Capitals and Bruins have been in recent contests, hitting the over for this game is one of the best NHL bets you can make.

Washington and Boston have shown no signs of slowing down on offense. For this reason, I want to roll with the over.

• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston’s last 6 games.
• The Bruins average 3.9 power plays against Washington in last 10.
• Washington has scored 3.30 goals against Boston in last 10 games.
• The Capitals are 13-8 in O/U this season.