Rangers Can Reach 100-Point Plateau
Both the Rangers and Capitals could use wins for different reasons. New York, which has dropped back-to-back games, is four points behind first-place Carolina and three points in back of New Jersey in the Metropolitan Division standings. Washington, losers of three straight, is on the verge of being eliminated from the playoff race. The Capitals are seven points out of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with six games remaining.
Despite being tied for 24th in scoring offense, the Rangers went 5-2-2 on the road in March. Four of Washington’s last six games headed into overtime, so keep that in mind when making NHL picks.
When looking at some of the NHL news, forward Mason Marchment (knee) and goalie Scott Wedgewood (lower body) are sidelined for Dallas. COLORADO INJURIES
According to the NHL playoff odds, the Rangers (+1200) are tied for fifth in the odds to win the Stanley Cup. The Capitals are well back at ++25000.
Power Outage in New York
All it will take is for the game to head into overtime for the Rangers to hit the 100-point mark for the second season in a row.
However, not all is right with the Rangers right now.
The Rangers have scored twice on the power play in the last six games. A more troubling trend is that they have drawn no more than two power plays in each of the last three games.
That is putting plenty of pressure on the Rangers to score 5-on-5 and that has been a struggle at times as well.
The good news one of the five times during the month of March when the Rangers had at least five goals in a game came at the expense of the Capitals.
It could be a good sign that Kaapo Kakko scored for the first time in three games as New York did erase a two-goal lead against Buffalo on Friday to force overtime,
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👁️ pic.twitter.com/DN6ifeMUAH— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 1, 2023
The Las Vegas odds total has gone under in eight of New York’s last 12 games as well as in five of the last six on the road.
Capital Loss
This has not been an easy stretch for Washington’s leading scorer and team captain Alex Ovechkin.
Ovechkin has been held without a goal or an assist in two straight games and during the three-game losing streak, he has been on the ice for no even-strength goals and five goals scored against the Capitals at even strength.
Washington is 8-16-2 this season when Ovechkin fails to record a point and 18-7-5 when he has at least one goal.
The Capitals are set to miss the playoffs for just the second time in the last 15 seasons. Still, look for Ovechkin to do everything he can to delay the inevitable.
The NHL betting lines total has gone over in eight of Washington’s last 10 games as in four of the previous five home games.
Rangers vs Capitals Game Injuries
Rangers vs Capitals Head-to-Head
Washington can win the season series with a win on Sunday after posting a 4-0 road win on Dec. 27 and a 6-3 victory at home on Feb. 25. In the most recent meeting, Mika Zibanejad and Patrick Kane combined for three goals in the first period in a 5-3 Rangers win. It was the eighth time in the last nine meetings that the game was decided by at least two goals.
Evgeny Kutnetsov and T.J. Oshie each scored twice against the Rangers this season. Zibanejad is the only Rangers player to score more than once in the three matchups this season against Washington.
The home team has won five of the last six games in the series.
Rangers vs Capitals Game Information
- Game: Rangers (44-21-11) vs Capitals (34-33-9)
- Location: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
- Day/Time: Sunday, April 2, 1 p.m. ET
- Rangers vs Capitals Live Stream: NHL TV
Rangers vs Capitals Betting Lines
Rangers vs Capitals Picks and Prediction
Before the teams played in Washington on Feb. 25, the Capitals had been favored at home during the regular season in 18 games in a row and in 27 of the 28 home dates. The last time the Rangers were favored on the road against Washington twice in the same season came in the 2004-05 campaign. That was the season before Ovechkin joined the team.
Both these teams have plenty of experience in tight times. The Rangers are 10-11 in overtime games. Only the Flyers have more overtime losses among Eastern Conference teams. The Rangers are 9-3-4 in their last 16 one-goal affairs. The Capitals are 7-3-3 over its last 13 games decided by one goal.
The Rangers are 23-15 against the spread on the road this season. Washington has covered in just 16 of its first 37 games on home ice.
The Rangers are 32-19-5 when listed by the sportsbook as the favorite. Washington is 13-28-6 as the underdog.
The New York Rangers are listed at -130 in our Las Vegas hockey odds. This means that if you wager $100 on the Rangers, you have a chance to win $77. Washington is +110, offering a chance to win $110 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the New York Rangers a 56.52% chance to win, with the Washington Capitals at 47.62%.
Rangers vs Capitals Trends
Rangers vs Capitals Edge
Rangers vs Capitals Results
Rangers vs Capitals Game Summary
