Rangers vs. Capitals Pick
Can the Washington Capitals manage to pick up another win at home when they host the New York Rangers tonight at 7PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Washington is favored at home tonight, as they are getting odds of -145 to prevail, while New York is listed with a money line of +125 to win. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 5.5 goals. Tonight’s game takes place from the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Washington is coming off a 6-2 win over the Blackhawks on Wednesday for their third straight wins and sixth win in seven games. The Capitals are 17-11-1 overall and 11-5 at home. Washington is putting up 3.03 goals per game to lead the team while giving up 2.97 goals per contest. The Capitals are led by Alex Ovechkin, who has 21 goals and 11 assists while Evgeny Kuznetsov has 10 goals and 21 assists. Braden Holtby is 15-6 in net this season with a 2.60 GAA and a .921 save percentage.
The Rangers are coming off a 4-3 win at Pittsburgh on Tuesday night for its sixth win in seven games. New York is now 15-10-2 overall and 4-5 on the road. The Rangers are scoring 3.33 goals per game while allowing 2.96 per contest. Mats Zuccarello is leading the team with five goals and 17 assists. Mika Zibanejad is adding 11 goals and 11 assists. However, he is out for tonight’s game due to a concussion. Henrik Lundqvist is 13-6-2 on the season in net. He has a 2.66 GAA and a .917 save percentage.
Washington has won two straight meetings with the Rangers, but the two have yet to meet this season. The Capitals and Rangers have been two great scoring teams, but Washington is at home and the Rangers are going to be without one of their top players. New York is also 6-13 in its last 13 road games. The public betting is siding with the Capitals and I think they will handle their business at home.
NHL DAILY PREDICTION: WASHINGTON CAPITALS -145