Los Angeles has been better than its results in its last matches.
Aleksandr Ovechkin’s goal tap has been blocked, but he still leads his team’s internal points market. AOP / USA TODAY Sports
The most interesting game of the day
In the NHL’s afternoon match (22:00 Finnish time), two teams with very weak results will meet when Washington hosts Los Angeles. Both have only one win from the post-Christmas matches.
However, with exactly the same level of play, Washington and Los Angeles have not collected their balance, because there is a huge difference in the goal expectations of the teams’ last matches in favor of Los Angeles.
Measured by goal difference, Washington has been the second weakest team in the NHL in their last six games. Its expected goal ratio is only 37% (the team itself has created an expected 13 goals and let it go from 22 goals).
Los Angeles is not in real trouble according to the expected statistics, although its recent results have mostly been losses. Taking the last six matches, Los Angeles’ goal-to-go ratio is on the positive side; 51%
For Washington, the season’s lack of success continues to capitalize on the team’s old Russian star to Aleksandr Ovechkin. Ovetškin, who used to score goals with an average of more than half a goal per game, has been like a shadow of his former self this season.
The situation in Washington is illustrated by the fact that even though the ex-goal scorer has only scored eight goals in the 37 games of the season, Ovetškin still leads the team’s points market with a balance of 8+17=25. The rest of the team’s winger section has been in an even weaker condition, and no real level raisers have been found among the younger players.
Washington is still, at least apparently, in the playoff battle, but the team’s player profile is such that if and when they fall off the train, the long losing streak at the end of the season won’t come as a surprise.
Materially, Los Angeles is not a very special team, but it has done well before the dip of the last matches, precisely because of its game habit advantage. The team defends its own area very conscientiously, and almost never takes unnecessary risks even in attacking play.
The effectiveness of Los Angeles’ defensive game is indicated by the fact that the team has scored the fewest goals in the NHL so far this season (87 in 35 games).
From Los Angeles, it is also worth noting that the team’s winning defensive style of play has suited the away matches very well. Los Angeles’ away record (11-2-1-2, goals 62–31) is the best in the series. Especially the winning percentage of actual game times of 69% is wild.
Washington won the teams’ first meeting of the season at the end of November 2–1, but it is worth remembering that Los Angeles came into the game after a five-day break and was not in the best possible mood. Still, the shots in the match went to Los 39–15. In tonight’s match, I am strongly in favor of Los Angeles.
Washington–Los Angeles starts at 22:00.
The best betting tip of the day
The layout of the match makes Los Angeles a really tasty team today in terms of betting.
Unfortunately, in this match, Veikkaus is so much better informed than the rest of the market about the teams’ power relations, that the 1.83 odds for Los Angeles’ actual game time win that it offers can’t be used in any way to get a clever direct multiplier.
However, we are moving very close to playable, with my own odds limit of 1.87.
Games of the day:-
The total balance of the day’s games for the year: 3/5/108%
Every day Iltalehti chooses the most interesting game of the day and the best game destination of the day. You can always find them in the Betting and Ravit section.