Detroit Red Wings vs. Capitals Game 31 Preview, Prediction, Odds

The Detroit Red Wings are set to take on the Capitals tonight on the road. The Red Wings have a (13-11-6) record. The Capitals have a (16-13-4) record to compare as they look to pick up another win to make it two in a row.

The Detroit Red Wings are trying to fight the wheels from falling off this season. They have dropped their last five and are starting to fall in the Atlantic Division as their rivals pick up some steam and catch up to them. It puts them further down the standings and less likely to grab hold of a Wild Card spot.

With the sloppy play continuing, the Red Wings continue to dig deeper holes. Injuries have been a problem, but with Dylan Larkin and Filip Hronek back in the lineup, it’s good news. Larkin appears that he may not be 100% yet, but hopefully, a day off will give him time to rest and recover, getting him closer to 100%.

Also, on a positive note, Jakub Vrana is also working towards a return, giving them another boost when he gets back on the ice. He is skating again but still needs time to get conditioned and get ready to return to the Red Wings lineup.

Detroit Red Wings game information and prediction vs. Capitals

The Capitals play host to the Red Wings tonight, and Alexander Ovechkin is looking to make history yet again. The Russian star and future Hall of Famer sits at 800 career goals after potting a hat trick against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday to score goals 798, 799, and 800.

That puts Ovechkin just one behind Mr. Hockey. Gordie Howe holds no.2 on the all-time goals list at 801 career goals, with Ovechkin looking to catch him on home ice against the Red Wings. It would be quite the feat for Ovechkin to score against the Red Wings and tie Howe’s historic 801-goal mark. The Bally Sports Detroit crew will have Mark and Marty Howe on the Monday night broadcast, a pretty cool way to bring attention to Ovechkin and the history that could be made on Monday night.

Game: Detroit Red Wings (13-11-6) at Washington Capitals (16-13-4)

When: Monday, December 19th

Time: 7:00 PM ET

Where: Capital One Arena

Where to Watch: Bally Sports Detroit, NBC Sports Washington

Odds:

According to DraftKings, the Capitals are the favorite in this game, looking at the Moneyline odds. The Capitals are favored, holding -190 odds to win, with the Red Wings being +160 on the Moneyline. The Red Wings are the favorite on the Puck Line at +1.5 with -145 odds. The games over/under is currently set at 6, with over holding -115 odds and the under having -105 odds.

Now that we have some of the odds laid out let’s look at the game a bit deeper and offer some predictions.

Prediction: Before I get into the prediction for tonight’s contest. I have to say; it’s been brutal lately. The picks I have made are nearly performing as poorly as the Red Wings have as of late. That being said, let’s try reversing the bad luck here.

I think Ovechkin gets to 801 at a minimum against the Red Wings. They have been playing sloppy lately, and Ovechkin’s gotta be hungry to tie up Mr. Hockey. I like Ovechkin as an Anytime Goalscorer for a prop bet.

The Red Wings have dropped their last five. Something has to change. The Capitals are fifth in the Metropolitan but have four more points on the season than the Red Wings. The Red Wings have their work cut out for them. If they play sloppily, this game will get ugly and be all Capitals from the get-go.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.