Islanders vs Capitals Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: New York Drags Its Feet to D.C.

The New York Islanders hit the road to take on the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena tonight. 

The Islanders are coming off a 3-1 win over the Oilers last night while the Capitals have had two days off after a 2-1-1 road trip. Can the Capitals take care of business as slight home favorites in the NHL odds?

Read on for our Islanders vs. Capitals NHL picks and predictions on Wednesday, December 20.

Islanders vs Capitals odds

Islanders vs Capitals predictions

The New York Islanders and Washington Capitals are battling for playoff position in a competitive Eastern Conference. The Isles have 38 points in 31 games while the Caps are right on their tail with 34 in 28.

Both teams have been playing pretty well recently. The Islanders are 5-1-1 in their last seven games while the Capitals are 3-1-1 in their last five and Washington has a few impressive wins in there over the Rangers and Hurricanes.

New York has a rest disadvantage staring it down tonight, though. The Islanders held on for two points against the Oilers Tuesday night on Long Island and now have to face the Capitals on zero days of rest with some travel to boot. Washington has been waiting at home after its road trip ended in Carolina on Sunday.

The Islanders have played three games on no days rest so far and they've lost them all: 3-1 in Buffalo, 4-3 (SO) in Seattle, and 1-0 (SO) against the Flyers. It doesn’t help either that Ilya Sorokin started last night and backup Semyon Varlamov is going to start tonight.

Varlamov had a great start to the season and his overall save percentage is still strong at .919%. However, if you remove Varlamov's first three games — including two shutouts — he has a save percentage of .897% in his last eight contests while allowing at least three goals in all of them.

This will be the third meeting between the Islanders and Capitals this season, and the third start for Varlamov. The Isles won 3-0 in Washington on November 2nd before the Capitals got their revenge in a 4-1 win on November 11th.

The Capitals’ suffocating style should limit the Isles’ offensive chances and Charlie Lindgren (6-3-2, 2.45 GAA, .925 SV%) has been fantastic in net. Perhaps it's not sustainable, but the netminder is at the top of this game right now and the Isles don't pose too much of an offensive threat.

Finally, the Capitals are 8-4-2 at home this season while the Islanders are 6-5-2 on the road. The Isles are also still without three key defensemen who were all healthy for the first two meetings.

My best bet: Capitals moneyline (-122 at FanDuel)

Islanders vs Capitals same-game parlay

Capitals moneyline

First period Under 1.5

Under 5.5

+400 at FanDuel

There have been eight goals combined in the two meetings between these teams so far this season. While those games did have two goals in the first period, both the Islanders and Capitals have been playing tight defensively in the opening frame recently. The Isles have gone Under 1.5 in the first period in four straight games with the Capitals doing them one better at five in a row.

On the season, the Capitals have been outscored 29-21 in 28 first periods with the Islanders holding a 27-17 advantage in their 31 opening frames. Those 44 goals are the second-fewest in the league with the Capitals settling in at the ninth-fewest.

Then we're taking the game to go Under 5.5 to close out the parlay. The Capitals are the most profitable Under team this season at 18-9-1. The Islanders have been playing some high-scoring games recently, which isn't like them at all, but the Capitals should be able to control the pace at home against a tired team. 

This game should be another slogfest and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a Capitals 3-2 victory.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Islanders vs Capitals moneyline and Over/Under analysis

The Capitals are around -125 on the moneyline across the board with the Islanders between +100 and +105 as road underdogs. 

There is some variance in the total, however, with the books being split between 5.5 and 6. You can get Over 6 (+100) and Under 6 (-114), or Over 5.5 (-125) and Under 5.5 (+110)

Islanders vs Capitals betting trend to know

The Washington Capitals have hit the Game Total Under in 21 of their last 39 games at home (+3.60 Units / 8% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Islanders vs. Capitals.

Islanders vs Capitals game info

Islanders vs Capitals latest injuries

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