By Andrew Lauro – Wannamakeabet Staff Writer
Chicago Blackhawks 12-10-5 (+122) Washington Capitals 16-11-1 (-135) @ 8:00pm EST
The Blackhawks head to Washington to take on the Capitals Wednesday night. The Blackhawks are 4-3-3 in their last 10 games, and are coming off a 3-1 loss to the L.A. Kings. The Capitals are 6-4-0 in their last 10, and are currently on a 2-game winning streak coming off a 4-1 win against the San Jose Sharks.
Team Stats over the season thus far and their league rank:
| Chicago | Washington | |
| Goals For | 3.04(11th) | 2.93(16th) |
| Goals Against | 2.67(Tied for 6th fewest) | 3.00(14th) |
| PP% | 16.1%(29th) | 21.7%(9th) |
| PK% | 84.4%(5th) | 78.0%(21st) |
| Shots Per Game | 34.1(8th) | 28.9(31st) |
| Shots Per Game Against | 33.7(3rd most) | 31.9(15th) |
Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin leads the entire NHL with 20 goals on the season. He’s always a threat when he’s out on the ice, especially the PP. In his last 5 games he has 7 points (6G,1A). including a hattrick in the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Goaltender Braden Holtby is 24-7-8 in the month of December in his career, and he tends to have a great points percentage against Central Division opponents throughout his career, posting a 32-12-2(.733%). His numbers are good against the Blackhawks as well, posting a record of 6-2-0 with a GAA of 2.23 and a SV% of .927.
For the Blackhawks it’s been a lackluster season for defenseman Duncan Keith, through his first 27 games of the season he has still yet to find the back of the net and has -7 rating. Their captain Jonathan Toews has not played to his expectations this season, through 27 games he has 18 points(7G,11A). Although, Patrick Kane and 19-year-old Alex DeBrincat have been their only hope of a scoring threat of late. Kane with 5 points(1G,4A) and DeBrincat 6 points(4G,2A). Their starting goalie Corey Crawford out with a lower body injury. It seems as if Anton Forsberg will be getting the nod against the Capitals tomorrow. His numbers aren’t great, and he’s only appeared in 19 NHL games. This season he’s 1-3-3 with a GAA of 3.01 and a SV% of .914.
These teams head to head in the last 10 games:
| Blackhawks | Capitals | |
| Record | 3-5-2 | 7-3-0 |
| Goals Per Game | 2.40 | 3.50 |
| Shots | 31.00 | 29.40 |
| PPG | 6 | 9 |
| # of PP’s | 30 | 24 |
| PP% | 20.00% | 37.50% |
| PK% | 62.50% | 80.00% |
The numbers show that the Capitals are the better team. Take the Capitals at -135.
Solid analysis and prediction Andrew. Nice work!