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The New Jersey Devils will battle the Washington Capitals on Saturday at the Capital One Arena. It's a home opener in D.C. as we share our NHL odds series and make a Devils-Capitals prediction and pick.
The Devils are 2-1 after losing 4-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in their home opener. Unfortunately, they fell behind 3-1 early and could not catch up.
The Washington Capitals will make their season debut. They went 40-31-1 last season and will look to stay afloat as they mix a bunch of youngsters with some aging veterans.
Here are the Devils-Capitals NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Devils-Capitals Odds
New Jersey Devils: -1.5 (+168)
Moneyline: -140
Washington Capitals: +1.5 (-205)
Moneyline: +116
Over: 6.5 (+104)
Under: 6.5 (-128)
How To Watch Devils vs Capitals
Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
TV: ESPN+, MnMT and MSGS
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Devils Could Cover the Spread/Win
- Jack Hughes has five goals and 11 assists over 20 games against the Capitals.
- Jack Hughes has one goal and four assists over his last five games overall.
- Nico Hischier has netted 11 goals and 10 assists over 22 games against the Capitals.
- The Devils have averaged 3.22 goals per game against Logan Thompson.
- The Devils were 21-18-3 on the road last season.
The Devils looked terrific over the first two games overseas. Then, they crashed and burned against Toronto. Hughes and Hischier are the guys that make this team run. However, Hughes has struggled to maintain possess the puck. Hughes has two assists on 10 shots. However, he also has won just three draws in the faceoff circle and lost 19. This is putting the Devils in a hole when they need to generate scoring chances. Conversely, Hischier has a goal and has done well in the faceoff circle, winning 53 draws and losing 31.
The Devils signed Markstrom to be their starting goalie. So far, he is 1-1 with a 2.55 goals-against average and a save percentage of .906. Markstrom needs to be on his game. Additionally, he needs his defense to step up and avoid lapses, especially early in the game.
The Devils will cover the spread if they can start fast and maintain possession of the puck. Then, they need Markstrom to play well and for the defense to press.
Why the Capitals Could Cover the Spread/Win
- The Capitals went 3-1 against the Devils last season.
- The Capitals averaged 4.75 goals per game against the Devils last season.
- Alexander Ovechkin has netted 41 goals and 54 assists over 76 career games against the Devils.
- The Capitals are 15-7 in their past 22 home openers.
- The Capitals are 10-1 against Jacob Markstrom.
Alexander Ovechkin has some expectations for the Capitals as they enter their home opener. Significantly, this will be the 20th season for the “Great Eight” as he continues to chase Wayne Gretzky's record for all-time goals. Currently, Ovechkin is 42 away. Will that happen this season? For clarification, Ovechkin scored just 23 last season but did produce 42 the season before. Ovechkin has the tools, but who are his linemates for this one?
Dylan Strome and Andrew Mangiapane are both solid players. Despite neither being elite playmakers, both can find ways to get to the net and also create plays for Ovechkin. Tom Wilson, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Connor McMichael power the second line and will generate chances.
Thompson finally gets a chance to be the number one goalie after basically splitting the net with Adin Hill in Las Vegas. Ultimately, he did moderately well last season, going 25-14-5 with a 2.70 goals-against average and a save percentage of .908. The Caps need him to be sharp for defense and to protect the castle in front of him.
The Capitals will cover the spread if they can continually maintain some chances on offense while drawing penalties. Then, they must avoid making critical mistakes on the defensive end while avoiding penalties.
Final Devils-Capitals Prediction & Pick
The Devils are 2-1 against the spread as they enter this showdown. Now, they face a team they have struggled against. The Capitals are 10-2-3 over the past 15 games against the Devils. Moreover, they have netted numerous goals in this series. It will be a weird matchup as one team has played three times already, and the other is making their season debut.
But the Devils looked utterly lost against Toronto. Unfortunately, slow starts have become the norm for this team. The Devils aspire to be a playoff team, while the Capitals hope to stay in the hunt. Yet, the Devils have not seen the consistency they seek. Plus, this will be the Capitals' home opener. Because of that, it is hard to fade the Caps. I will take them to cover the spread in this one.
Final Devils-Capitals Prediction & Pick: Washington Capitals +1.5 (-205)
