Blues vs Capitals Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Ovechkin Remains an Ageless Wonder

The Washington Capitals currently sit on the outside of the Wild Card playoff picture and will be hungry for two points when they face off against the St. Louis Blues at Capital One Arena tonight.

Washington, which has not defeated St. Louis since 2019, opened as the -165 favorite on home ice as the Capitals look to hand the Blues their third straight defeat. Can Washington stay in the hunt for a playoff spot?

We break it all down in free NHL picks and predictions for Blues vs. Capitals on March 17.

Blues vs Capitals best odds

Blues vs Capitals picks and predictions

St. Louis had a complete meltdown in its last game on Wednesday, falling 8-5 to Minnesota as goaltender Jordan Binnington was ejected midway through the second period after throwing a punch at Wild forward Ryan Hartman.

The loss was pretty much a microcosm of how the season has gone for both the Blues and Binnington. The netminder has given up three or more goals in nine of his last 10 starts but will be unavailable tonight after being handed a two-game suspension.

That leaves the cage to Thomas Greiss, who enters tonight with just a .900 SV% and 3.50 GAA through 19 appearances.

Washington comes into this contest with not only an edge on paper, but also plenty of reason to get up for the game given its playoff positioning. The Capitals, who are 5-3-1 in their last nine outings, sit just five points back of the Islanders for the second Wild Card spot.

Much of the Capitals’ campaign has been about Alex Ovechkin and his push for the NHL’s all-time scoring record, with the sniper now sitting at 817 career tallies — just 77 back of Wayne Gretzky.

Ovechkin's 37 goals this season are nearly 20 more than the next-closest Washington skater, and the Russian superstar has also scored four times in his last five games. The Capitals captain should have a good shot at finding the back of the net against a Blues team that has allowed 13 goals over their last two contests.

My best bet: Alex Ovechkin Over 0.5 goals (+128)

Blues vs Capitals moneyline analysis

The Caps haven’t been great down the stretch as they went on a six-game losing skid through February, but they’ve rebounded just in time to give themselves a shot at a playoff berth with four wins through their last seven contests.

Meanwhile, the Blue traded away Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly at the trade deadline and have been freefalling ever since. St. Louis has just three victories in its last 13 games, tumbling toward the bottom of the league standings alongside teams like Arizona and Vancouver.

Unlike the Blues, the Capitals have actually benefited from some solid goaltending as starter Darcy Kuemper has posted an impressive .929 SV% and 2.49 GAA through six games played in March. The stark difference in crease play alone should give Washington the advantage in this matchup as Greiss has been leaky, with a .893 SV% and 3.27 GAA through that same stretch.

If the Blues have one edge tonight, it’s that they possess the hottest player on either team in Pavel Buchnevich, who’s recorded 14 points in his last seven games and is fresh off a hat trick in his last outing.

The Caps will obviously counter with Ovechkin — arguably the greatest scorer of all time — as well as two streaking players in Dylan Strome and Rasmus Sandin. Strome has 10 points during a six-game streak and Sandin has nine points in six contests since joining Washington at the deadline.

Blues vs Capitals Over/Under analysis

The total for tonight’s game opened at 6.5 goals but you should be able to lock in at 6 at some books. Either way, I’m liking the Over as both clubs have played some high-scoring games lately. Washington has seen at least six goals scored in eight of its last 10 contests, with five of those games featuring at least eight tallies.

Meanwhile, St. Louis has seen eight consecutive games with at least six total goals while giving up five or more in two straight. Furthermore, St. Louis and Washington own two of the worst team defenses since the All-Star break, with the Blues (4.06 GAPG) ranking 31st and the Caps (3.50 GAPG) coming in at 23rd over that span.

These teams have typically played some high-scoring head-to-head matchups as well, with the Over going 8-3 in their last 11 meetings. Their only matchup this season came back on November 17 when the Blues took a 5-4 shootout win, so don’t be surprised if we see another track meet.

Blues vs Capitals betting trend to know

The Under is 10-1 in Washington’s last 11 games when its opponent has scored five or more goals in the Capitals' previous contest. Find more NHL betting trends for Blues vs Capitals.

Blues vs Capitals game info

Blues vs Capitals key injuries

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