Minnesota Wild vs Washington Capitals Prediction NHL Picks 1/2/25

The Minnesota Wild and the Washington Capitals meet Thursday in NHL action from the Capital One Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Minnesota Wild vs. Washington Capitals prediction.

Minnesota Wild Recap

The Minnesota Wild come into this game looking to add on to a 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators in their last game to improve to 23-11-4 on the year. After this game, Minnesota will head on the road for a matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Wild Win Three Of Their Last Four

Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild with 50 points including a team-high 23 goals and 27 assists while Matt Boldy has 31 points including 13 goals and 18 assists. Marco Rossi has 32 points with 14 goals and 18 assists while Mats Zuccarello has 22 points with 8 goals and 14 assists. Brock Faber also has 20 points with 15 assists of his own this season. Filip Gustavsson has gone 17-6-3 with a 2.28 GAA and a .924 save percentage in goal for Minnesota while Marc-Andre Fleury is 6-3-1 with a 2.81 GAA and an .898 save percentage on the year. Jesper Wallstedt is 0-2 with a 4.09 GAA and a .843 save percentage this season.

Why the Minnesota Wild will win

• The Wild have won seven of their last eight night games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
• The Capitals have lost each of their last three games against Central Division opponents.
• The Wild have covered the puck line in each of their last eight games against the Capitals.
• The Capitals have failed to cover the puck line in three of their last four night games following a win.

Washington Capitals Recap

The Washington Capitals come into this game looking to build on their 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins last time out to climb to 25-10-2 on the year. After this game, the Capitals will welcome the New York Rangers to town.

Capitals Looking For Consistency

Dylan Strome leads the Capitals with 40 points including 11 goals and a team-high 29 assists while Alex Ovechkin has 27 points with 17 goals and 10 assists and Connor McMichael’s added 30 points with 16 goals and 14 assists. Aliaksei Protas has 32 points with 16 goals and 16 assists while Tom Wilson has 27 points and John Carlson has 24 points with Wilson logging 14 goals and 13 assists and Carlson adding 21 assists. Pierre-Luc Dubois also has 28 points with 23 assists of his own. Jakob Chychrun has 25 points with 11 goals and 14 assists as well on the year. In goal for Washington, Logan Thompson has gone 15-2-2 with a 2.30 GAA and a .918 save percentage while Charlie Lindgren is 10-8 with a 2.69 GAA and a .900 save percentage this season.

Why the Washington Capitals will win

• The home team has won eight of the Capitals’ last nine games.
• The Wild have lost four of their last five night games following a win.
• The home team has covered the puck line in nine of the Capitals’ last 10 games.

Total Goals Facts

• Each of the Capitals’ last five home games against Central Division opponents has gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Five of the Wild’s last six road games against Metropolitan Division opponents have gone OVER the total goals line.

Wild vs. Capitals Prediction

I’m on the Capitals here. This is a matter of strength vs. strength, as the Wild are a really strong road team this season, but the Capitals have had no issue winning home or away this season and continue to be a threat. The Capitals keep finding ways to get the job done this season, have one of the more underappreciated goaltending duos in the NHL in Lindgren and Thompson, and have their leader back in the fold in Alex Ovechkin. All in all, I have to roll with the Capitals for the win here.