by Rod Pearson
Monday, Apr 22, 2024
Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Where to Watch: ESPN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline: Capitals +230, Rangers -285; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Bet365: Moneyline: Capitals +230, Rangers -285; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
BetMGM: Moneyline: Capitals +220, Rangers -275; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Season Record
Washington Capitals: 40-31-11 (4th place, Metropolitan Division)
New York Rangers: 55-23-4 (1st place, Metropolitan Division)
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Recent Form
Washington Capitals: 4-5-1 last 10
New York Rangers: 7-3-0 last 10
Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers Preview and Analysis
The Capitals are entering this game with 91 points, a 40-31-11 record overall, and they were 18-19-4 in their road games this regular season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the New York Rangers in their last game, losing that one on the road 4-1. Martin Fehérváry scored 1 goal for them in that game. Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson each led the team in assists with 1 while Aliaksei Protas led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Charlie Lindgren was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 31 shots with 27 saves and a .871 save percentage. Their offense has scored 220 goals this season averaging 2.7 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 257 goals against them allowing 3.1 goals per game.
The Rangers are entering this game with 114 points, a 55-23-4 record overall, and they were 30-11-0 in their home games this regular season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Washington Capitals in their last game, winning that one at home 4-1. Jimmy Vesey, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, and Matt Rempe each scored 1 goal for them in that game. Barclay Goodrow led the team in assists with 2 while Artemi Panarin led the team in shots on net in that game with 7. Igor Shesterkin was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 1 goal on 21 shots with 20 saves and a .962 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 282 goals this season averaging 3.4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 229 goals against them allowing 2.8 goals per game.
Capitals vs Rangers Prediction
The current betting odds have the Rangers listed as a big favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 2 of a 7 game series between the 1st seeded Rangers from the Metropolitan Division and the 2nd seeded Wild Card, the Capitals, for Round 1 of the NHL Eastern Conference playoffs. The Rangers have a 1-0 series lead after winning game 1 of this series on home ice. The Rangers have looked great in their games this season with their 55-23-4 record overall which won them the Presidents' Trophy this season for having the most points in the entire NHL. They have also looked great on home ice with their 30-11-0 home record this season, and that continued in game 1 of this series as they took a convincing 1-0 lead in the series with a 4-1 win. Meanwhile, the Capitals have looked good with their 40-31-11 record overall which was enough to get them into the playoffs in the final Wild Card spot, but they also needed to win their games right up until their last game of the regular season. They haven't looked good in their road games either with their 18-19-4 road record. The Capitals have been playing playoff hockey for the last few weeks now but they showed in game that they aren't going to put up much of a fight against one of the best teams in the NHL. The Rangers have a big advantage with their goaltending in this series, considering how both of their goalies have been so good all year, and it already showed up in a big way in game 1. The Capitals don't have a very strong offense either and don't really score a ton of goals. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rangers to win this game and on the puckline.
Capitals Rangers Prediction: Our NHL Pick for Tuesday, April 23, 2024 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Rangers 3 Capitals 0.
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NHL Betting Trends
Washington Capitals: 121-132 (-21.2 units) on the moneyline in all games. 4-11 (-8.6 units) on the moneyline off a road loss against a division rival. 20-25 (-10 units) on the moneyline after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game. 13-4 UNDER revenging a road loss versus an opponent by 2 goals or more. 12-3 UNDER off a road loss against a division rival. 25-17 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive unders.
New York Rangers: 55-27 (+13.4 units) on the moneyline in all games. 37-22 (+11.8 units) on the moneyline off a win against a division rival. 26-15 (+10.2 units) on the moneyline after scoring 4 goals or more in 2 straight games. 22-11 UNDER as a # 1 seed in the playoffs. 9-5 UNDER after 2 straight blowout wins by 3 goals or more. 22-15 UNDER when leading in a playoff series.
Key Injuries
Washington Capitals: R. Sandin (D) Out indefinitely - Upper Body. N. Jensen (D) Out indefinitely - Upper Body. E. Bear (D) Out indefinitely - Personal. N. Backstrom (C) out for season - Hip.
New York Rangers: B. Wheeler (RW) out for season - Lower Body. F. Chytil (C) out for season - Upper Body.
Notable Quotes
“We've got to do a way better job offensively. It's no secret. We struggled all year but we've got to find ways to create more on the interior. We've got to skate out of pressure, we've got to keep pucks off the yellow. We continually ran pucks around.” - Spencer Carbery after his team’s loss against the Rangers in game 1 of this series on Sunday.
“It's obviously good to get that first one. There's things we could have done better. ... You need to win one at a time, so for that the result was good.” - Peter Laviolette after his team’s win against the Capitals in game 1 of this series on Sunday.
Starting Lineups
Washington Capitals
LW Ovechkin, Alex
C McMichael, Connor
RW Oshie, T.J.
LD Fehérváry, Martin
RD Carlson, John
G Lindgren, Charlie
New York Rangers
LW Panarin, Artemi
C Trocheck, Vincent
RW Lafrenière, Alexis
LD Lindgren, Ryan
RD Fox, Adam
G Shesterkin, Igor
Statistical Leaders
Washington Capitals
Points: D. Strome (67)
Goals: A. Ovechkin (31)
Assists: J. Carlson (42)
GAA: C. Lindgren (2.67)
New York Rangers
Points: A. Panarin (120)
Goals: A. Panarin (49)
Assists: A. Panarin (71)
GAA: I. Shesterkin (2.58)
Coaches:
Washington Capitals: Spencer Carbery (1st season)
New York Rangers: Peter Laviolette (1st season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
