New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals Prediction NHL Picks 1/4/25

The New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals meet Saturday 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 New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals prediction.

New York Rangers Recap

The New York Rangers come into this game looking to add on to their 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins last time out to improve to 17-19-1 on the year. After this game, the Rangers will continue on the road to take on the Chicago Blackhawks.

Rangers Looking To Build Momentum

Artemi Panarin has a team-high 39 points with 16 goals and 23 assists while Alexis Lafreniere has 21 points with 9 goals and 12 assists on the year. Adam Fox has 27 assists, Mika Zibanejad has 22 points with 7 goals and 15 assists and Will Cuylle added 24 points with 11 goals and 13 assists. In goal for the Rangers, Igor Shesterkin is 11-15-1 with a 3.10 GAA and a .906 save percentage while Jonathan Quick is 6-4 with a 2.54 GAA and a .913 save percentage this season.

Why the New York Rangers will win

• The Rangers have won each of their last four games as road underdogs following a home win.
• The Capitals have lost three of their last four games as favorites following a shootout loss.
• The Rangers have covered the puck line in each of their last 17 games as road underdogs following a home win.
• The Capitals have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight games as home favorites after coming off a shootout.

Washington Capitals Recap

The Washington Capitals come into this game looking to bounce back after a 4-3 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild last time out to drop to 25-10-3 on the year. After this game, the Capitals will head on the road to take on the Buffalo Sabres.

Capitals Looking For Consistency

Dylan Strome leads the Capitals with 41 points including 11 goals and a team-high 30 assists while Alex Ovechkin has 28 points with 18 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 28 points and John Carlson has 24 points with Wilson logging 15 goals and 13 assists and Carlson adding 21 assists. Pierre-Luc Dubois also has 29 points with 24 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 10-8-1 with a 2.70 GAA and a .900 save percentage this season.

Why the Washington Capitals will win

• The Capitals have won each of their last six games after coming off overtime.
• The Rangers have lost each of their last five games following a win.
• The Capitals have covered the puck line in each of their last nine Saturday day games.
• The Rangers have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six games against Eastern Conference opponents.

Total Goals Facts

• Seven of the Capitals’ last eight home games after coming off a shootout have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Each of the Rangers’ last five games against Metropolitan Division opponents has gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Five of the last six games between teams from the same division have gone OVER the total goals line.

Rangers vs. Capitals Prediction

I’m on the Capitals here. The Capitals have struggled with consistency as of late, but the one thing that the Rangers have been doing consistently as of late is losing. Washington looks like a much more motivated team since getting Alex Ovechkin back in the lineup, and I keep standing on the hill that I think that Washington’s goaltending group of Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson is one of the more underappreciated groups in the NHL. The Rangers are just in limbo right now and are hard to trust, even at this price. Give me Washington here.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Washington Capitals -122