NHL Picks: Capitals will skate past Kings in battle of NHL heavyweights – CBSSports.com
The Kings and Capitals will clash in a battle of NHL titans. (USATSI)
Welcome to NHL Picks where CBSSports.com hockey writers Chris Peters and Adam Gretz make their predictions for all of the day’s games.
Los Angeles Kings at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. ET
In a game between division leaders, it wouldn’t be a stretch to view this as a potential Stanley Cup Final preview, early as it may be. The Kings still have a big lead in the Pacific, but the Caps have a commanding lead in both the Metropolitan Division and the rest of the league in the President’s Trophy race.
The Caps were the first team to make it to 40 wins last week and will be looking to make it 41 against a team that has made a habit of being tough to play against.
There are a lot of other angles in this game, too. Capitals forwards Justin Williams and Mike Richards will be playing against the team that they won two Stanley Cups with for the first time. Williams won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP in 2014 and left the team on amicable terms, while Richards had his contract terminated in June following a drug-related charge.
Meanwhile, the Kings are still hoping to get Jonathan Quick back after a one-week absence. Quick sustained a lower-body injury in the closing minutes of a game against the Boston Bruins. He remains day-to-day and currently owns a 28-14-2 record with a .918 save percentage and 2.23 goals-against average. The Kings went 1-2-0 in his absence.
If he does return Tuesday, Quick will get back just in time to face the most dangerous offense in the NHL, averaging 3.30 goals-per-game. Alex Ovechkin has six goals over his current four-game scoring streak. That has allowed him to overtake the goal-scoring lead with 35 so far this season.
The game could also mark the return of Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik. It has not yet been made official whether or not he’ll be in the lineup and may not be until closer to game time. He has not played since Nov. 10 with a lower-body injury. Prior to going down, the stay-at-home defenseman had three points in 14 games.
These two teams have some similar styles, but there’s no question that the Caps have a depth advantage here. They’ve also been excellent on home ice this year with a 20-4-2 record and are coming off of two full off days. The Kings, meanwhile, have been having a hard time stringing wins together. They’re 4-6-0 over their last 10 games and have allowed the gap to close a bit between them and the rest of the Pacific Division.
Even if Quick returns, look for the Caps to take care of home ice and pick up a narrow win over the Kings. Pick: Capitals 3, Kings 1
The rest of Tuesday’s picks
Philadelphia Flyers 4, New Jersey Devils 2
Carolina Hurricanes 3, Winnipeg Jets 2
Boston Bruins 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 1
Buffalo Sabres 3, Ottawa Senators 1
Tampa Bay Lightning 4, San Jose Sharks 3
St. Louis Blues 4, Dallas Stars 3
Anaheim Ducks 3, Edmonton Oilers 1
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