The New York Rangers look to get back into the win column this afternoon when they travel to Capital One Arena to face off against the struggling Washington Capitals.
New York has lost two straight contests but skates into this matchup as the road favorite against Washington, which has just three wins in its last 12 games due to some shoddy defense.
Keep reading to find out why New York has the edge in our Rangers vs Capitals NHL picks and predictions for Sunday, April 2.
Rangers vs Capitals best odds
Rangers vs Capitals picks and predictions
Despite losing their last two games, the Rangers were one of the NHL’s top teams in March, going 10-4-2 and recording 22 points, trailing only the Oilers (25), Golden Knights (23), and Wild (23) for the most in the league over that span.
New York allowed a minuscule 2.29 GAPG last month – the fourth-best mark in the league – while boasting the second-best penalty kill, which operated at 88.1%.
As of Saturday night, the Rangers’ starter had not been announced, but both Igor Shesterkin and Jaroslav Halak have rounded into form over the last couple weeks. March marked Shesterkin’s best month of the season, where he posted a .932 SV% and a 2.08 GAA. Halak was consistent as well, recording a solid .918 SV% and 2.59 GAA through five starts.
The Capitals, on the other hand, have struggled to put many wins together because of their porous defense. Washington scored 3.50 GPG in March but gave up just as many, putting them in the Bottom 10 league-wide over that span.
Darcy Kuemper, who will likely get the call in net for the Caps, had a strong month with a .920 SV% and a 2.63 GAA. His play trailed off a bit over the last couple weeks, though, as he gave up four of more goals in four of his last six starts, including a 5-3 loss to the Rangers on March 14.
Given Washington’s defensive woes, I think we can expect New York’s top dogs to put up some points, with Mika Zibanejad being the most likely candidate. Zibanejad led the Rangers with 18 points in March and posted six multi-point outings in his last 10 games. Look for him to light it up again this afternoon.
My best bet: Zibanejad Over 1.5 points (+280 at Unibet)
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Rangers vs Capitals moneyline analysis
The Rangers opened as the -140 road favorite, which tracks given that both teams are trending in opposite directions. New York has nine wins in its last 13 games, while Washington picked up just five victories through the entire month of March.
Although the Caps did score at a decent clip throughout the month, they relied heavily on just a few players as Dylan Strome (17 points), Alex Ovechkin (15 points), and Rasmus Sandin (13 points) did most of the work. Washington could also be missing some secondary scoring in T.J. Oshie and Sonny Milano, who are both listed as questionable, which hurts their chances even more.
The Rangers enjoyed plenty of depth scoring in March, as six players finished the month with at least 10 points, while three others had nine. New York’s superior depth should give them a sizable edge over Washington, which really hasn’t generated much outside of Ovechkin and Strome.
The Caps have played the Rangers surprisingly well, winning 10 of the last 12 meetings at Capital One Arena, and five of the last eight matchups overall. The two clubs are at very different places right now, though, and I think a New York team that’s gearing up for the playoffs will be too much for Washington to handle.
Rangers vs Capitals Over/Under analysis
The total opened at 6 goals, with most books staying steady through Saturday night.
The Over is 5-3-2 in the last 10 meetings between the two clubs, with each of the last two featuring at least eight goals. Despite the Rangers generally having some of the best goaltending in the NHL over the last couple of years, the Caps have been able to score some goals in this matchup, which makes me lean towards the Over this afternoon.
Washington has scored at least three goals in seven of the last 10 meetings, averaging 3.80 GPG over that span. Meanwhile, New York has averaged 3.00 GPG versus Washington through those games, putting their combined total closer to 7 than 6.
Ultimately, I think the determining factor will be the Capitals’ defense, which has taken them out of the playoff race by giving up 4.22 GPG over their last nine outings. I don’t expect them to buck that trend against a hot Rangers team, so I think we’ll see at least six goals in this one.
Rangers vs Capitals betting trend to know
The Under is 5-0-1 in the Rangers' last six road games. Find more NHL betting trends for Rangers vs Capitals.
Rangers vs Capitals game info
| Location: | Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C. |
| Date: | Sunday, April 2, 2023 |
| Puck drop: | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TNT |
