NHL Picks and Analysis: Is Father Time Catching up with Alex Ovechkin?

The NHL has 13 games on this busy Thursday night. It is later in the week, so usually, this night features tons of puck-watching opportunities. This gives us a chance to test more theories out. 

This will be another shorter-than-usual Thursday piece! 

Washington Capitals at Detroit Red Wings

The game is going to be an intriguing one. Washington and Detroit have both had some well-documented defensive issues. For the Capitals, it has been primarily because of injuries. Detroit, though, has sometimes seen some suspect goaltending from Alex Nedeljkovic and Ville Husso. 

Washington has played 11 games already. How will goals be scored? The Capitals are averaging 2.91 goals per game. The Red Wings are yielding 3.56 per contest. Washington’s average age is 30.7, a full 2.5 years above the league average. 

Could the Washington offense wake up? Of course, it could. The Capitals have struggled with seven goals in their last four contests. Detroit has allowed 20 goals in the same span. This sets up to be a plus-value chance to take. 

This means the production is going to increase at some point. It is difficult to see a team struggle that has Alex Ovechkin. Yet, that is the reality. People often get surprised when “Father Time” begins to catch up. It has not with Ovechkin yet but with the rest of his team. 

Expect the game to be full of scoring chances. Both teams attempt to play at a higher tempo, and the Red Wings are one of those teams where goals can snowball. 

Carolina Hurricanes at Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay comes into Thursday night’s game against the Hurricanes limping. Victor Hedman will not play tonight. That will be the second consecutive game the defenseman will miss. It throws the defensive pairings off completely for Tampa Bay.

On the bright side, the Lightning has won three straight games as their record has started to bounce back. The concern with Carolina this season has been its lack of ability to take advantage of fortunate situations. It barely survived beating a depleted Washington team on Tuesday. Even Philadelphia forced overtime against the Hurricanes on Sunday.

That is significant. Add in the fact that this game is a total coin flip on the moneyline at -110. Will that swing a bit in the afternoon? That is possible. Frederik Andersen is projected to face Andrei Vasilevskiy. Surprisingly, the Over here is just 6.0 without Hedman in the lineup. Will that last? It is another thing to keep an eye on. 

Boston Bruins at New York Rangers

What does one do here? Boston has been one of the best teams in the NHL without their complete lineup. Brad Marchand just returned a week ago. Charlie McAvoy is not ready yet. David Krejci is now out, too. That goes along with Craig Smith, Jeremy Swayman, and now Derek Forbort. The injury list is getting quite extensive. 

At least both teams are rested. Boston comes in at 9-1 after a stirring three-goal comeback against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Linus Ullmark will start against Igor Shesterkin. Now, the strangest thing is that Shesterkin has not quite been himself. The Rangers’ offense has even been a bit inconsistent. Boston’s offense has not been. It leads the NHL with 45 goals in 10  games.

Is this the night Boston takes a step back? New York’s goaltender has not lost a game in regulation yet. The expectation is that he will not on Thursday night. New York at +120 to win in 60 minutes could gain some attraction. This game appears ripe for a few goals. The Over is firmly even at 6.0. And now our picks.

Some Picks And More To Chew On

• Parlay - Flames, Oilers, and Stars to win at +275
• David Pastrnak shot prop and anytime goal at +125
• David Perron anytime goal - +190, Dominik Kubalik anytime goal - +225
• Minnesota Puckline at +135
• Kings-Blackhawks Over 6.0 goals at -120

Good luck, and once again, thanks for reading! We will have a few more plays on social media as conditions warrant.

All odds today come from BetMGM.