Capitals vs. Blackhawks Prediction & Picks - December 17

placeholder image

The Washington Capitals (21-7-2), coming off a 3-1 loss to the Dallas Stars, visit the Chicago Blackhawks (10-19-2) at United Center on Tuesday, December 17 at 8:30 PM ET on ESPN+. The Blackhawks took down the New York Islanders 5-3 in their last outing.

Sign up for ESPN+ today to watch 1,000+ out-of-market NHL games, ESPN+ Hockey Night & more.

Ahead of watching this matchup, here is our pick for which team will take home the victory in Tuesday's hockey action.

In the past 10 games, the Blackhawks have gone 3-7-0 while putting up 28 goals against 33 goals allowed. On 27 power-play opportunities during that time, they have scored eight goals (29.6%).

Capitals vs. Blackhawks Predictions for Tuesday

Our computer projections model for this matchup expects a final result of Capitals 4, Blackhawks 2.

  • Moneyline Pick: Capitals (-204)
  • Total Pick: Over 5.5 (computer predicts 6.1 goals on average)
  • Spread Pick: Blackhawks (+1.5)

Watch 1,000+ out-of-market NHL games, ESPN+ Hockey Night & more streaming all season on ESPN+.

Capitals Splits and Trends

  • The Capitals have a 21-7-2 record overall, with a 3-2-5 record in games that have required overtime.
  • Washington has 16 points (7-2-2) in the 11 games it has played that were decided by one goal.
  • In the three games this season the Capitals registered just one goal, they finished 0-2-1.
  • Washington finished 1-3-0 in the four games this season when it scored exactly two goals (registering two points).
  • The Capitals have scored three or more goals in 22 games (20-1-1, 41 points).
  • In the 11 games when Washington has recorded a lone power-play goal, it picked up 16 points after finishing 8-3-0.
  • In the 20 games this season in which it has outshot its opponent, Washington is 16-4-0 (32 points).
  • The Capitals have been outshot by opponents 10 times, and went 5-3-2 (12 points).

Blackhawks Splits and Trends

  • The Blackhawks (10-19-2 overall) have posted a record of 2-2-4 in games that have gone to OT this season.
  • Chicago has earned six points (2-5-2) in its nine games that finished with a one-goal margin.
  • This season the Blackhawks scored just one goal in eight games and they finished 0-7-1 in those matchups.
  • Chicago has five points (2-9-1) when scoring exactly two goals this season.
  • The Blackhawks have scored at least three goals in 11 games, earning 16 points from those contests.
  • Chicago has scored a single power-play goal in nine games this season and has recorded eight points from those matchups.
  • When outshooting its opponent this season, Chicago is 2-7-0 (four points).
  • The Blackhawks' opponents have had more shots in 21 games. The Blackhawks went 7-12-2 in those contests (16 points).

Looking for NHL tickets? Head to StubHub today and see your team live.

Team Stats Comparison

Capitals Rank Capitals AVG Blackhawks AVG Blackhawks Rank
2nd 3.87 Goals Scored 2.48 30th
7th 2.67 Goals Allowed 3.19 24th
12th 29.3 Shots 25.5 30th
8th 27.5 Shots Allowed 29.8 25th
15th 21.51% Power Play % 23.75% 9th
6th 83.16% Penalty Kill % 84.44% 4th

Capitals vs. Blackhawks Game Time and TV Channel

Sign up for ESPN+ to watch the Capitals play Blackhawks.