The Washington Capitals host the New York Rangers at Capital One Arena for Game 3 of their opening-round series.
After losing the first two on the road, the Capitals need to flip the script with a home win tonight to avoid being down 0-3. The Rangers are a sizable road favorite again in Game 3, and they have the star power to pull away Friday and put the Caps on sweep watch.
Here are our free NHL picks and Rangers vs. Capitals predictions for Friday, April 26.
Rangers vs Capitals prediction
My best bet
Rangers in regulation (-104 at Pinnacle)
My analysis
The New York Rangers will look to replicate their Game 1 play that resulted in a tidy 4-1 win. Starting goaltender Igor Shesterkin turned away 20 of 21 shots, and star winger Artemi Panarin scored a goal and registered seven shots on 10 attempts.
Star power is the biggest difference between the Blueshirts and Washington Capitals, and in Game 2, it was No. 1 center Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere leading the way.
It’s also telling that the Caps still couldn’t beat the Rangers despite showing up and playing well in Game 2. The Rangers were outplayed at five-on-five on Tuesday, with the Capitals leading the way in Corsi For percentage (54.9%) and expected goals percentage (59.4%).
I’m calling it a one-off, however. Besides, Washington finished last in both statistics during the regular season among all postseason teams.
Again, it reinforces the talent gap at the top of the two depth charts, and that New York is the superior team even when it isn’t at its best.
The final note is Washington could have four defensemen Rasmus Sandin (upper body) and Nick Jensen (upper body) returning to the lineup after practicing in full-contact jerseys during Friday’s morning skate. It’s an obvious boon for the Caps blueline, but jumping on a moving train down 0-2 won’t be easy, especially considering I don’t anticipate either being at full health.
New York has the winning blueprint and personnel to take the 3-0 series lead on Friday, and remember, Washington scored more than three goals for just the second time in 13 games dating back to the regular season.
The Capitals are outmatched tonight.
Rangers vs Capitals same-game parlay (SGP)
Rangers in regulation
Adam Fox 1+ assists
Capitals team total Under 1.5
Adam Fox ranks fourth with 2.37 points per 60 minutes among regular defensemen over the past three seasons, and he racked up an impressive 26 assists across 27 postseason games the last two years. Additionally, the go-to blueliner and power-play quarterback paces the Blueshirts in ice time (44:30) and has been on the ice for the second-most expected goals (3.0) through the first two games of the series.
Washington has struggled to score and Shesterkin is ripe for a rebound showing after allowing three goals on 25 shots in Game 2. The Russian netminder was elite down the stretch with a .929 SV% and 2.20 GAA since the All-Star break, and he posted equally strong .930 and 2.42 marks across 27 postseason appearances the past two years.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
Rangers vs Capitals odds
Rangers vs Capitals live odds
Rangers vs Capitals opening odds
- Puck line: New York -1.5 (+125) | Washington +1.5 (-150)
- Moneyline: New York -166 | Washington +146
- Over/Under: Over 5.5 (-110)| Under 5.5 (-110)
Rangers vs Capitals moneyline and Over/Under analysis
- There has been slight movement to the New York moneyline through Pinnacle, with the Rangers moving from an opening -166 to -172 as of Friday morning.
- This total is a consensus 5.5 with the vig similar on both the Over and Under, and there hasn’t been notable line movement.
- These are both mature markets and odds have been available since Wednesday, so I’m not expecting a lot of line movement in either heading into puck drop.
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Rangers vs Capitals trend
The Rangers have won 17 of their past 22 games dating back to the regular season. Find more NHL betting trends for Rangers vs. Capitals.
Rangers vs Capitals game info
| Location: | Capital One Arena, Washington, DC |
| Date: | Friday, 4-26-2024 |
| Puck drop: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TNT, truTV |
Rangers vs Capitals latest injuries
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