Expert Top Pick of the Day: New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals

Oct 13, 2021, 11:12 pm ET in NHL

Read Time: 4 min

Expert Top Pick of the Day: New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals

The Rangers are 6-2 in preseason action, with two of the wins in overtime. New York split the two-game series with the Islanders. The Penalty kill unit for New York was top ten last season. Right-winger Ryan Reaves is questionable for Wednesday night’s game with a leg injury. Center Ryan Strom has an upper-body injury and is also questionable. Head coach Gerard Gallant decided not to name a captain when he set his 23 man roster. Coach Gallant decided to go with six alternate captains instead. Gallant is the newest Rangers coach but has had much success in the NHL.

The Capitals were 2-4 in the preseason. Winning the last two games against Boston and Philadelphia. Washington was a top-five scoring team, averaging 3.3 goals per game with 29.77 shots on goal. They made the playoffs last year but didn’t go to the finals. Peter Laviolette is in his second season coaching the Capitals. Coach Laviolette said Alex Ovechkin is questionable for Wednesday’s game with a lower-body injury.

New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals Schedule

Date: October 13
Time: 7:30 EST
Location: Capital One Arena Washington, DC

The Rangers Looking to Start Strong

New York has a good team that went 27-23 last season and is looking to go deeper into the playoffs this year. That playoff run starts in Washington Wednesday night. Goalie Alexander Georgiev is starting his fifth season with the Rangers and has 2,658 saves all time.

This is a Metropolitan division matchup and a chance to start the season in the first place.

The Capitals Open Their Stanley Cup Run at Home

The Capitals could be without 36-year-old Captain Ovechkin. Ovechkin is a key piece on the ice and a team leader. Ovechkin has 730 career goals, which is the sixth place all-time. In three of the last four seasons, he has scored at least 48 goals. Wayne Gretzky still holds the record with 894.

Washington won the Stanley Cup in 2018 and is looking to reclaim it this year.

New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals Odds Comparison

The Rangers are 1-5 against the spread in their last six games. They have the same 1-5 record straight up. Under the total has hit in 12 of their last 17 road games. Straight up against Washington, the Rangers are 2-4. Against the spread versus the Capitals, New York is 8-2.

The Capitals have gone under the total in seven of their last eight games. Washington is 1-7 against the spread in their last eight games at home against the Rangers.

DraftKings has the Rangers money line at +110 and the Capitals at -135. The Over/Under is 6 (under -105, over -115).
FanDuel has the Rangers money line at +108 and the Capitals at -126. The Over/Under is 6.5 (under -122, over +100). The puck line is Rangers +1.5 -240 and the Capitals -1.5 +195
Caesars has the Rangers money line at +120 and the Capitals -130. The Over/Under is 6 (under-105, over-115). The puck line is Rangers +1.5 -230 and the Capitals -1.5 +190

Godds Pick or Prediction of the game

The Capitals don’t have a good record against the Rangers at home against the spread. Even with Ovechkin questionable, they can still win this game. Opening at home, it’s a division game, and hopefully, the NHL can put together some sort of a normal season. This will end up being a close, one-goal game.