The Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils will match up for the second time this season on Saturday night. The Devils won the first meeting 5-3 in Washington and will host the second game. The Capitals played just three games so far, but have a promising 2-1 record. The Devils seemed like one of the easy picks for a turnaround in 2024-25, and they are proving that early with a 5-2-0 record, which includes a two-game sweep of the European games against the Buffalo Sabres. It’s time to continue our NHL odds series with a Capitals-Devils prediction and pick.
Here are the Capitals-Devils NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Capitals-Devils Odds
Washington Capitals: +1.5 (-165)
Moneyline: +155
New Jersey Devils: -1.5 (+140)
Moneyline: -185
Over: 6 (-115)
Under: 6 (-105)
How To Watch Capitals vs. Devils
Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
TV: MNMT, MSGSN2
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Capitals Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Devils have been starting to find some success over the past few seasons (despite a setback last year), but the Capitals have succeeded against the young squad. Washington has won three of the past five meetings between these teams dating back to the start of last season.
Charlie Lindgren was in the net for the season’s first game when the Devils defeated the Capitals. Lindgren allowed four goals on 32 shots, which concerned fans for a goaltender who stole the starting job after last season’s performance. The Capitals needed a rebound game for Lindgren, which they received with a 22-save performance in a 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars. The Capitals could continue the rotation and go with Logan Thompson in this game, but he also had a successful start, stopping 24 of 26 shots to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2.
Why the Devils Could Cover the Spread/Win
Goaltending was a major issue for the Devils in 2023-24. New Jersey was one of the top up-and-coming teams in 2022-23, but their goaltending let them down last season. The front office knew they needed to find a starting goaltender who could shoulder most of the load, and they found that with Jacob Markstrom. The Devils gave away few assets to acquire the veteran goaltender, and Markstrom is proving he may be a bigger steal than they imagined. Markstrom has won three of five games this season but has stopped 134 of 146 shots. Jake Allen has been even better, allowing just one goal over his two victories.
If you had been told in the preseason that the Devils were 5-2-0 to start the season and their offense averaged over three goals a game, there would probably be a few names in mind for who was leading the way. You likely wouldn’t have guessed that Jesper Bratt, Stefan Noesen, and Paul Cotter were tied for first with six points. You also wouldn’t have guessed that offseason addition Johnathan Kovacevic leads the defense with five points. The Devils have seven players with five points or more, which shows a balanced offense and the type of depth that wins games in the postseason.
Final Capitals-Devils Prediction & Pick
The Devils have some of the best offensive depth in the league and their top players haven’t broken out yet. The Devils have much more depth than the Capitals, which they showed already this season. It’s also difficult to trust Lindgren over Markstrom, which is why we’ll ride with the Devils at home in this matchup.
Final Capitals-Devils Prediction & Pick: Devils ML (-185)