It’s a quiet Monday in the NHL, with the weekly schedule kicking off featuring just four games in action, and only one involving a Canadian team. If there’s going to just be one, though, the schedule gods have certainly picked a good one, with the Winnipeg Jets hungry to bounce back from a tough loss on Saturday, and the Washington Capitals desperate to keep themselves in the playoff hunt.
Bet on Capitals vs. Jets
WSH +175
WPG -210
The Jets are decent home favourites, sitting at -210 (bet365) on the moneyline. That number has become shorter overnight, with the books favouring the Jets a little more than they did previously.
Capitals vs. Jets odds
| Jets Moneyline Odds | -210 |
| Capitals Moneyline Odds | +175 |
| Puckline odds | Jets -1.5 (+125), Capitals +1.5 (-150) |
| Total | 5.5 goals (over -120, under +100) |
| Time/Date | March 11, 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: Sportsnet Stream: Sportsnet+ (How to watch the NHL in Canada?) |
All odds courtesy of 
About the Jets (40-18-5 SU, 33-30 ATS, 23-33 o/u)
Heading into Monday’s game, the Jets are having the second-best season of any Canadian team, sitting in sixth overall and second in the Central Division behind Dallas. The biggest difference-maker for them has been goal prevention, made famous with their 34-game run of allowing three goals or fewer in the late fall and early winter. Their 153 goals against are tied with the Florida Panthers for the fewest allowed in the league, a testament to their great goaltending tandem of Connor Hellebuyck and Laurent Brossoit and the effort put forth by the skaters in front of them.
After a five-game losing streak in late January & early February, Winnipeg has been back to their winning ways, going 10-4-0 in their last 14. Their most recent game struck a bit of a nerve, as the Vancouver Canucks hit them for a rare blowout loss. J.T. Miller got the party started two minutes into the first period and the Jets could never find their gear, losing 5-0. It’s the most lopsided defeat that Winnipeg has had this year, but that also makes it atypical and implies that all can be forgiven with a good result tonight.
The Jets also have the benefit of incoming reinforcements. The team picked up sniper Tyler Toffoli and steady defenceman Colin Miller at the trade deadline, which should bolster their depth even further.
About the Capitals (30-23-9 SU, 30-32 ATS, 28-31 o/u)
After years of regular season dominance and a 2018 Stanley Cup win, it still feels weird seeing the Capitals out of the regular playoff hunt. The team isn’t quite in a rebuild either, but more of a slow taper into its new era while trying to close off one key part of the past one. That part is, of course, getting Alex Ovechkin to 895 career goals, one more than Wayne Gretzky’s position at the top of the list. Right now, the 38-year-old sits at 840, 55 away. This year has not been kind to the push with 18 tallies in 59 games, though he’s starting to find his groove after an uncharacteristically bad finishing year.
At the same time, the team isn’t out of the hunt. With seven wins in their last 10 games, the Caps are back in the mix, sitting three points back of the final wild-card spot in the East and five points back of fifth in the Metropolitan Division. These next few weeks are basically playoff hockey for them, so expect some extra juice behind every game down the stretch until they’re out.
Last Matchup
These two teams haven’t played each other since early last season, in a game that the Capitals took by a 4-1 score. Alex Ovechkin got the party started in his home rink with a late first-period goal, and the Caps added two more in the second and third periods. Kevin Stenlund broke Charlie Lindgren’s shutout bid, but an Ovechkin empty-netter secured the win for the Caps. This game included Ovechkin’s 802nd career goal, which moved him up to second all-time.
Projected Lineups
| Today’s Winnipeg Jets Lines | Today’s Washington Capitals Lines |
|---|---|
| Forwards Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Tyler Toffoli Nikolaj Ehlers – Sean Monahan – Alex Iafallo Nino Niederreiter – Adam Lowry – Mason Appleton Morgan Barron – Rasmus Kupari – Vladislav Namestnikov Defence Josh Morrissey – Dylan DeMelo Brendan Dillon – Neal Pionk Dylan Samberg – Nate Schmidt Starting In Goal Connor Hellebuyck 29-14-3, 2.35 GAA, 0.921 SV% | Forwards Alex Ovechkin – Hendrix Lapierre – Aliaksei Protas Max Pacioretty – Connor McMichael – Tom Wilson Ivan Miroshinichenko – Dylan Strome – Sonny Milano Beck Malenstyn – Michael Sgarbossa – Nicholas Aube-Kubel Defence Trevor Van Riemsdyk – John Carlson Rasmus Sandin – Nick Jensen Alexander Alexeyev – Ethan Bear Starting In Goal Charlie Lindgren 15-10-5, 2.70 GAA, 0.912 SV% |
Winnipeg is playing at pretty much full capacity, and this lineup could change further if they add their deadline acquisitions to the mix. Washington is banged up but still has a few dynamic players to keep an eye on. Fans of Canadian teams will be familiar with a few of the supplementary names, like former Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty and netminder Charlie Lindgren, former Maple Leafs Rasmus Sandin and Nicholas Aube-Kubel, and former Oilers/Canucks defenceman Ethan Bear.
Alex Ovechkin to score a goal
+190
Key Injuries
For Winnipeg, Gabe Vilardi is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Washington’s injury list is much longer. Nick Backstrom is out for the year with a hip injury, T.J. Oshie has been week-to-week for the past two weeks with an upper-body injury, while Martin Fehervary has been the same with a lower-body injury. Nic Dowd has missed the past two weeks with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day. Darcy Kuemper is being eased back into the lineup following an illness.
Betting Trends
- Washington has won seven of the past 10 games between these first two teams, dating back to February 2018. This includes the last four in a row, dating back to December 2021. By the puckline, the matchup has been split over their last 10, as has the over/under.
- The Capitals are 7-3 in their last 10 games, with an identical network against the puckline. They’ve also hit the goals over seven times but pushed once to go with two unders.
- The Jets are also 7-3 straight-up in their last 10, though they’re a less-dominant 5-5 against the puckline. They’ve played over the total in six of their last 10 games.
Player Prop Trends
- Josh Morrissey leads the way for the Jets in points over their last 10 games, and he’s done so in an unorthodox way. The defenceman has one goal and 15 assists in that stretch. incredibly, he also leads them in shots on goal with 27.
- Leading the way in goals is Kyle Connor, who has taken 25 shots and converted seven times in Winnipeg’s last 10 games. Sean Monahan ranks second with four goals, while Mark Scheifele has three goals and nine points.
- Similar to Morrissey, Dylan Strome is the most productive Capital over their last 10 games, producing two goals and 14 assists. Leading them in goals during that stretch is Hendrix Lapierre, who has five.
Wagers To Consider
- Alex Ovechkin will always be a topic of discussion when the Capitals are on one side of the ice, and he’s been ramping up his production lately, with four goals and 11 points in Washington’s last 10 games, and 10 goals in their last 16. You can get him for an anytime goal at +190. It’s a sign of the times that he’s no longer a lock for the shortest goal odds in any game, even with a hot streak, but that just means more value if he hits.
- On Winnipeg’s side, we mentioned above that Josh Morrissey is firing more pucks than anyone for them right now. This includes 15 shots in his last four games. His shots line right now sits at 2.5 shots on goal, with an over at -120. If you feel their offence will still flow through him in this game, we could see this continue. If you feel that going -4 against the Canucks will lead to less emphasis, the under is also at -120.
- If you like the Jets to have a big response game Monday, and I do, a boosted same-game parlay could be a way to lengthen the odds a bit. One that seems interesting to me has Winnipeg winning on the moneyline, Kyle Connor taking at least two shots, and Mark Scheifele putting up two points. Normally +425, you can get this package for +500.
