We have a four-game slate in the NHL on Sunday, February 12, including this inter-conference tilt in D.C., and here you can read the best Sharks vs. Capitals betting pick and odds.

San Jose will conclude an eight-game road trip when they visit Washington at Capital One Arena. The Capitals are -238 moneyline favorites on BetUS Sportsbook, while the total is set at 6.5 goals. These inter-conference rivals will meet for the first time this season.

Sharks couldn’t do much against the Panthers in Florida

The San Jose Sharks (16-26-6-5, 28-25 ATS) opened their eight-game road trip with four losses but managed to return to winning ways and beat the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning. The Sharks scored ten goals in those victories; however, they failed to make it three in a row as the Florida Panthers prevented them from doing it with a 4-1 win. Following this tilt against Washington, the Sharks will spend eight of the next nine games at home.

San Jose did take a 1-0 lead through Alexander Barabanov in the first period, but the Panthers then scored four straight goals to secure an easy W. So far this season, Erik Karlsson leads the Sharks in points with 70 (G 17, A 53) and is among the top 10 players in the entire NHL. Timo Meier contributes 51 (G 30, A 21) and Tomas Hertl has 45 points (G 14, A 31).

James Reimer is ill, so Kaapo Kahkonen (7-10-4) is expected to start at the goal against Washington on Sunday. The 26-year-old is surrendering 3.75 goals per game this year with a .879 SV% and one shutout.

C Luke Kunin (ACL), D Radim Simek (upper body), and D Markus Nutivaara (lower body) are out indefinitely and will not play on Sunday against Washington.

Capitals edged the Bruins in Boston

The Washington Capitals (27-20-4-2, 26-27 ATS) returned home from a three-game road trip on which they recorded a pair of victories over the Columbus Blue Jackets and Boston Bruins. Washington will now play six of the next seven games in the nation’s capital. Thanks to a tight 2-1 win in Boston, the Capitals moved up to 7th position in the Eastern Conference with 62 points, 19 more than the San Jose Sharks.

The Capitals got to a 2-0 lead through Nicklas Backstrom and Garnet Hathaway midway through the second period, and all the Bruins could do is to cut the deficit to half and lose 2-1. Darcy Kuemper stopped 27 of 28 shots from Boston. When it comes to points this year, Alexander Ovechkin is Washington’s top producer with 54 (G 32, A 22), while Evgeny Kuznetsov has 43 points (G 7, A 36).

Charlie Lindgren (12-6-2) is likely going to start in the cage for the Capitals against the Sharks on Sunday. The 29-year-old is allowing 2.67 goals per contest this season with a .907 SV% and no shutouts.

D John Carlson (facial), LW Carl Hagelin (hip), RW Tom Wilson (knee), RW Connor Brown (lower body), and C Nic Dowd (lower body) are out indefinitely and will not feature on Sunday against the Sharks.

Trends:

San Jose:

  • 12-40 in the last 52 vs. a team with a winning record
  • 1-5 in the last six vs. Metropolitan Division rivals
  • 1-4 in the last five Sunday games

Washington:

  • 47-20 in the last 67 vs. a team with a winning % below .400

San Jose Sharks vs. Washington Capitals Pick

Washington has a slightly better offense, and while scoring hasn’t been a problem for the Sharks this season, they are struggling defensively. San Jose has the fourth-worst defense in the NHL that allows 3.74 goals per game opposite Washington’s 2.83 goals per contest. Despite the fact that the Capitals will be playing the second game of a back-to-back set, their trip to Boston on Saturday was relatively short and they will be ready to take on the Sharks on Sunday. San Jose lost six of the previous eight road games, so I am backing Washington to secure a comfortable win.

Pick: Take the Capitals at -1.5 Puck Line (+126)

The Total

I noted that San Jose is not struggling offensively, but the Sharks did allow 3+ goals in each of their last 11 games. Washington has been in a hot and cold form when it comes to offense, but I am pretty sure they can score 4+ against one of the worst defenses in the league. Over is 5-0 in the Sharks’ last five vs. Metropolitan Division rivals; Over is 7-1 in San Jose’s previous eight games playing on two days of rest, while Over is 7-3-2 in the Sharks’ last 12 vs. Eastern Conference opponents.

Pick: Go Over 6.5 goals (-110)