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The Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers play host to the Washington Capitals. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Capitals-Rangers prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Capitals enter the game at 17-9-5 on the year and have won three of the last four games to sit in a playoff position. Last time out, they faced the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning scored first with a goal from Luke Glendening in the first period. In the second period, Anthony Mantha tied it up. Andrei Vasilevskiy would save 33 of 34 shots, while Charlie Lindgren saved 19 of 20 shots as the game would go to a shootout. In the shootout, both Evgeny Kuznetsov and Brayden Point would score leading to an extra round of shootouts. There Victor Hedman ended the game and gave the Lighting the 2-1 win.
Meanwhile, the Rangers come into the game at 23-8-1 on the year. They have won four of their last five games overall. Last time out they faced the Buffalo Sabres. The Rangers got off to a hot start, with Ryan Lindgren scoring first, and then Artemi Panarin scored on the power play to give the Rangers the 2-0 lead. Rasmus Dahlin scored in the first to make it 2-1. In the second, Jack Quinn tied it up, but Mika Zibanejad gave the Rangers the lead again. In the third, Casey Mittelstadt tied it up to force overtime. There, Chris Kreider scored halfway through the overtime period to give the Rangers the 4-3 win.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Capitals-Rangers Odds
Washington Capitals: +1.5 (-134)
New York Rangers: -1.5 (+112)
Over: 6.5 (+114)
Under: 6.5 (-140)
How to Watch Capitals vs. Rangers
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: NHLPP/ESPN+
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Capitals Will Cover The Spread
The Capitals continue to struggle to score, sitting 31st in the NHL with just 2.39 goals per game this year. The leading goal scorer this year is Dylan Strome. He enters the game with 13 goals on the year, with seven assists, good for 20 points. His 20 points are tied for the lead on the team this year. Meanwhile, four of the goals are of the power play variety. Strome is tied with Alex Ovechkin for the team-leading in points. He comes in with six goals this year and 14 assists, good for 20 points. He has two goals and seven assists on the power play this year.
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Meanwhile, The Capitals get some help from the blue line. John Carlson leads the team in assists this year, coming into the game with one goal this year and 18 assists. His assist total is the most on the team this year. The Capitals also have two guys tied for second on the team in goals with ten this year. Tom Wilson comes in with ten goals and 8 assists this year, good for 18 points. He has three goals and an assist on the power play this year. Meanwhile, Anthony Mantha comes in with ten goals and five assists this year, while having a goal and an assist on the power play.
The Capitals' power play continues to improve as of late but is still one of the worst in the NHL. They have 11 power-play goals with a 12.4 percent conversion rate, good for 28th in the NHL. The Capitals are still solid on the man-down. On the penalty kill they have an 82.7 percent success rate which is good for 12th in the NHL.
Darcy Kuemper is slated to start in goal in this game. He is 8-6-2 on the year with a 2.90 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. While his first two starts of December were rough, allowing six goals on 40 shots, he has been better as of late. In the last three games, he has allowed just five goals on 95 shots, winning all three games.
Why The Rangers Will Cover The Spread
The Rangers are middle of the pack in scoring this year. They sit 12th in the NHL with 3.34 goals per game this year. This year, Artemi Panarin continues to lead the way. He is the leader in goals, assists, and points. Panarin comes in with 18 goals, 26 assists, and a total of 44 points this year. He has been great on the power play this season, with six goals and 15 assists this year on the power play. Panarin has points in eight of his last ten games now.
Meanwhile, Second on the team in points is Mika Zibanejad, who has also been solid on the power play. six of his 13 goals and ten of his 20 assists have come with the man advantage. Meanwhile, Chris Kreider comes into the scoring well. He is second on the team with 17 goals in the year. Krieder also has 13 assists to give him 30 total points. Meanwhile, he has been amazing on the power play, with eight goals and three assists.
The Ranger's power play has been one of the best in the NHL. They lead the league with a 31.1 percent success rate while scoring 32 power-play goals this year. They are also great on the penalty kill this year, with an 85.7 percent success rate, which is fourth in the NHL.
Igor Shesterkin is expected to be in goal once again for the Rangers in this game. He is 13-7-0 on the year with a 2.86 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. He has won each of his last three starts, giving up just six goals over the three starts overall. This is a nice turnaround from the two starts before that when he gave up ten goals in two games.
Final Capitals-Rangers Prediction & Pick
The Capitals and Rangers just played at the start of December. In that game, the Capitals shut down the Rangers attack and would win 4-0. In four of the last six games between these two teams, the under has hit. The Capitals are struggling to score, and while the Rangers are scoring well, but have consistently struggled with the style of play the Capitals put out. The Capitals like to control the puck and push slowly into the offensive zone. If they maintain puck control, the Rangers will play into the slower style of game, making the best play in this one on the total. Take the under in this one.
Final Capitals-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Under 6.5 (-140)
