The Washington Capitals haven’t had the best season thus far, but whenever they play the New York Rangers they seem to get the best of them. In the two previous meetings this season, Washington has outscored the Rangers by a whopping total of 10-3.
With that being said, Igor Shesterkin had a very strong performance in his last start and New York is hopeful that he can build off of that.
The Blueshirts have been struggling to find some consistent offense as of late and for whatever reasons they just can’t seem to find many ways to score on the Caps. This should be a fun contest, but I don’t expect it to be high-scoring.
Find out my best bet in our free NHL betting picks and predictions for the Rangers vs. Capitals on March 14.
Capitals vs Rangers best odds
Capitals vs Rangers picks and predictions
It has now been five games since the Rangers have added Patrick Kane, and in that span they have only been able to score a total of 12 goals. To make matters worse, New York's shiny new toy has registered a point in just two of the five games since landing in the Big Apple. This recent drought, along with its play pre-Kane has landed the team just one regulation win in its last 12 games.
This doesn’t seem like a very consistent group right now and the goal scoring is certainly unreliable. Whether it's due to lines needing to be adjusted or the players just in a rut, the Rangers don’t look like the offensive group we know they're capable of being.
Just to put in perspective how much they've fallen off, the Blueshirts scored four or more goals in seven straight games from January 27 to February 17. Since then, they've scored four or more just twice in the last 11 outings.
Speaking of inconsistency, the Capitals have been just that all season. Injuries have plagued this team all season and their offensive production has taken the hardest hit because of it. They are the 19th highest scoring offense, only averaging 3.09 goals per game.
Offense has been a team issue as a whole, with just two players cracking the 50-point mark this season, and only three surpassing 45 points.
Darcy Kuemper has looked very strong in his last five starts, skating to a 3-1-1 record in that span while posting a 2.17 GAA and a .932 SV%. In Shesterkin’s last three starts, he has played to a 2.58 GAA and .904 SV%.
Both goalies are looking strong, and with these teams remaining inconsistent in the scoring department, I like the value on the Under.
My best bet: Under 6 (+100 at BetMGM)
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Capitals vs Rangers moneyline analysis
The Rangers are still without Ryan Lindgren on the backend and as we are learning, he is a very important piece to this puzzle.
The Capitals have been able to take advantage of New York this season, winning both of the previous meetings. Washington has also won three out of its last five games so it hasn't been looking all that bad as of late, but with this team you don’t really know what you’re going to get.
The Rangers are starting a nice week where they have four straight games at home, and they are going to do everything in their power to get started off on the right note. Igor Shesterkin is becoming himself once again and this feels like a game that he could potentially steal.
I am putting all of my faith in Shesterkin.
Capitals vs Rangers Over/Under analysis
The New York Rangers roster is filled with big guns but they have been a little quiet as of late, especially their centers.
Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck and Filip Chytil all haven’t scored in five games. In fact, Alexis Lafreniere has the most goals on the team in this last five game span. This is a cold New York team right now and it's facing a hot goaltender in Darcy Kuemper.
The Capitals won’t have it very easy tonight either. The Rangers have stressed that they need to tighten things up defensively and Igor Shesterkin is going to have to stand on his head. The Blueshirts and Caps are both toward the bottom of the league in expected goals, with New York sporting a 50.91% xGoals and the Caps at 49.77%.
The Under is 3-1-2 in the last six meetings and I think we will see another low scoring game.
Capitals vs Rangers betting trend to know
The Under is 3-1-2 in the last six meetings. Find more NHL betting trends for Capitals vs Rangers.
Capitals vs Rangers game info
| Location: | Madison Square Garden, New York, NY |
| Date: | Tuesday, March 14, 2023 |
| Puck drop: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN |
