Chicago Blackhawks vs. Washington Capitals: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

The Chicago Blackhawks travel to Washington D.C. to take on Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals on Friday night at 7 PM ET. 

Chicago, losers of four straight and 11 of its last 12 contests, is set to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season and the seventh time in the past eight years.

They are also just about guaranteed to finish dead last in the Central Division for the third consecutive year. The team is now 21-44-10 overall with a league-worst 7-24-5 road record. 

The team just concluded a forgettable five-game homestand. The Blackhawks went 1-4, losing the last four games and allowed 21 regulation goals. Connor Murphy had a goal and an assist and Ilya Mikeheyev also scored as Chicago blew a 2-0 lead and lost to the visiting Colorado Avalanche in a shootout, 3-2, on Wednesday night. 

The Capitals are coming in on somewhat of a mini-slump. The Eastern Conference leaders have lost four of their last five games. They are 48-18-9 overall and their 105 points still have them in contention with the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars for the Presidents’ Trophy. 

Washington is happy to be back home, where it has won seven of its last eight. The team leads the NHL with 271 goals, and its +67 differential is one of the league’s best.

As the Capitals make a run for their first Stanley Cup since 2018 and second overall, virtually all of the attention has been placed on the shoulders of captain Alex Ovechkin.

The long-time franchise star leads the team with 39 goals. That also puts him just three shy of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time mark of 894, a record once thought unbreakable.

Ovechkin has four goals in the last five games, including the lone tally in a 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes last time out. 

Dylan Strome leads Washington with 49 assists and 73 points, while Ovechkin and Aliaksei Protas each have 66 points and Pierre-Luc Dubois has 64 points.

Read below to see our experts’ predictions for this matchup.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Washington Capitals betting picks and predictions

Washington Capitals -1.5 (-150)

The Blackhawks stunned the Caps in the only other meeting this season in December. Host Chicago scored three unanswered goals in the third period to win, 3-2, but Ovechkin was out for that one with a broken left fibula.

He is back, and the Capitals are at home. The current dreadful state of the Blackhawks will not be improved by getting away from home. They are playing out the rest of another forgetful season, while the Capitals are trying to make this campaign one to remember. 

Chicago has lost nine of its last 10 games in Washington. The Blackhawks’ offense is scoring nearly a goal less a game than the Caps.

Washington is 44-31 against the spread this season, including 21-17 at home. The Capitals are 28-14-6 straight up as favorites. Their 24-8-6 record at home is one of the league’s best.

Look for Washington to continue Chicago’s bleak run by winning and covering the 1.5-goal spread as favorites.

Total Over 6.5 goals (-115)

The total has gone over in five of the Capitals’ last six games and four of the Blackhawks’s last five games.

Chicago is surrendering a lot of goals right now, and Washington is due for one of its scoring bursts. The total has gone over nine times in the last 13 games between these two teams. 

Look for the trends to continue as the two teams combine to total more than 6.5 goals.

Alex Ovechkin Anytime Goalscorer (-145)

When in doubt, follow the history. Ovechkin has scored in four of his last five games and, with Gretzky right in front of him, he will be dialed in to get even closer.

He would love nothing more than to even and break this record in front of the home crowd. The Caps are on the road at the New York Islanders next, so look for Ovechkin to tally at least one goal.

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Chicago Blackhawks vs. Washington Capitals odds

CHI Blackhawks	+325 ML
WAS Capitals	-425 ML
Puck Line	WAS -1.5 (-150)
Total	O/U 6.5

Anytime Goalscorer

Ryan Donato (Chicago Blackhawks)	+220
Connor Bedard (Chicago Blackhawks)	+230
Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)	-125
Tom Wilson (Washington Capitals)	+135
Dylan Strome (Washington Capitals)	+170
Pierre-Luc Dubois (Washington Capitals)	+200

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.