Lightning vs Capitals Prediction & Best Bets (4/13): Will Washington’s Playoff Hopes Take a Hit?

Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. will play host to one of the important games on today’s packed NHL schedule, as Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning to town for a big Eastern Conference showdown (5:30 pm ET, NHLPP/ESPN+).

The Lightning (44-27-8) are secure in the playoffs with three games left, and they have an outside shot at finishing in the top three in the Atlantic Division.

The Capitals, however, are on the outside of the wild-card spots after a rough night Thursday. It was their their latest rough night in a stretch full of them. While the Pittsburgh Penguins prevailed against the Detroit Red Wings in overtime, the Capitals fell 4-2 on the road against the Buffalo Sabres.

As a result, the Penguins are a point ahead of the Capitals, as well as the Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers, for the second wild-card spot with three games left for Pittsburgh, Washington, and Detroit and two left for Philadelphia.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, a longtime fixture among the top online sports betting sites. Check out our BetOnline sportsbook review, then bag a big bonus (100% if your first deposit is with Bitcoin, Ethereum, or another cryptocurrency) to bet on today’s NHL slate.

Moneyline

• Tampa Bay Lightning -137
• Washington Capitals +122

Over/Under

• Over 6 (-112)
• Under 6 (-104)

Puck Line

• Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 (+180)
• Washington Capitals +1.5 (-210)

With 13 games on today’s schedule, there’s a lot of NHL betting action to look forward to. Get free and reliable moneyline, over/under, and puck line consensus picks for all 13 games, including this one, from our NHL picks page.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals Prediction and Best Bets

The second Eastern Conference wild card is still in play because the Capitals have picked the worst time to stink it up.

Over their last eight games, Washington’s lone win is a 2-1 win at Detroit on Tuesday. In the other seven games, they have five losses, an overtime loss, and a shootout loss.

While the Caps are struggling at the wrong time, the Lightning have been hot at the right time. They suffered a surprising shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators at home on Thursday, but they are 11-2-2 over their last 15 games.

That 15-game stretch includes a 6-1-1 mark on the road, with the only blemishes a 4-3 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings on March 23 and a 4-2 loss to the Penguins last Saturday.

Overall, the Lightning are 10-2-1 in their last 13 road games, with the lone additional blemish a 6-2 loss to the Flyers on February 27.

This isn’t a game that the Lightning need as much as the Capitals do, but I don’t think they will be in a generous mood this evening. Even if they are, you can’t trust Washington to make the most of it with the results they are producing currently.

Lightning vs Capitals Prediction: Lightning to win

Lightning vs Capitals Best Bets: Lightning ML & Lightning team total over 3.5 (+120 at BetOnline)

Other NHL Betting Information

Where Can You Bet on the NHL?

Throughout the season, NHL odds are available at the top online sports betting sites.

Along with moneyline, over/under, and puck line odds for every game, many sportsbooks also offer Stanley Cup futures odds, award odds, and a plethora of prop bets, which are becoming increasingly popular with NHL bettors.

In addition to BetOnline, here are some of the sportsbooks that we recommend for betting on the National Hockey League:

• BetDSI (review)
• BetUS (review)
• Bookmaker (review)
• Bovada (review)
• MyBookie (review)
• Sportsbetting.ag (review)

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.

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