The New York Rangers (18-5-1) travel to face off against the Washington Capitals (12-9-3) on Saturday, December 9th. This game will be played at Capital One Arena in Washington and televised on MSG. Both the Rangers and Capitals will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 ET.

New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals

The New York Rangers Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

For the season, the Rangers currently hold an overall record of 18-5-1. On the road, New York has gone 10-3-1 and they are 8-2-0 at home. At the moment, they hold the 1st spot in the Eastern Metropolitan division and are ranked 1st in the Eastern conference. New York’s average scoring margin this season is +.7 leading to an overall puck line record of 11-13. Their scoring margin at home is +.6 and +.7 on the road.

The Rangers aim to bounce back following their 6-2 loss on the road to the Senators. On the offensive front, the Rangers failed to score in the first or third periods against the Senators, but they found the net two times in the second period. Of New York’s two goals, one came while in power play. They ended the game with 35 shots on goal and had 11 giveaways.

In this game, New York was favored by -1.5, but they suffered a loss against the puck line. The combined total of 8 goals exceeded the over/under line, which was set at 6 goals for the game.

The Washington Capitals Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Washington will be looking to snap their current two game home losing streak in today’s game vs. the Rangers. Overall, they are sitting at 12-9-3 this season. In the Eastern Metropolitan division, they are currently 5th, and in the Eastern conference, they come into the game sitting 10th. Washington’s average scoring margin for the season is -0.6, resulting in an overall puck line record of 9-14. When playing at home their scoring margin is -0.5, whereas in away games, they are at -0.7.

After suffering a 5-4 loss at home to the Stars, the Capitals are looking to bounce back today. In every single period, the Capitals’ offense scored a goal against the Stars. Of Washington’s four goals, one were scored while in power play situations. Their game ended with 27 shots on goal and 11 giveaways.

As underdogs, Washington suffered a loss but still covered the puck line. The teams surpassed the over/under line, which was set at 6 goals, with a combined total of 9 goals.

New York Offense Breakdown

On the offensive side, the Rangers are scoring an 3.4 goals per game this season, ranking 15th in the NHL. When it came to shots on target per game, they are 27th in the league. This season, the Rangers are 12-1 when getting more shots on goal than their opponents. And in games with fewer shots on goal, they have a 6-3 record.

The Rangers’ come into the game with an over/under record of 11-12-1. Over the course of last season, they had 41 games that did not surpass the 6 over/under line. The average number of goals in their games was 6 per game.

Washington Offense Breakdown

When looking at their offense, the Capitals have an average of 2.3 goals per game this season, positioning themselves 32nd in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are ranked 32nd in the league. The Washington offense is ranked 32nd in power play goals. As for shorthanded goals, they find themselves at 23rd in the NHL.

The Capitals’ over/under record this season is 8-15-0. For the season, they have had 14 games failing to surpass this game’s over/under line of 6. Overall, their games are averaging 5.5 goals per game.

New York Team Defense

Defensively, the Rangers are currently 23rd in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 29.9 shots per game against New York. They also are 11th in shutouts, coming in with 2 shutouts.

Washington Team Defense

Washington defense takes on the Rangers ranked 27th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are averaging 31 shots per game against Washington. They alsso are 24th in shutouts, with 1 shutouts.

Rangers vs Capitals Trends

• Across the Rangers last ten road games, the team averaged 3 goals per game while allowing 2. Their record vs the puck line in these contests was 5-5, while going 7-3 straight-up.
• When looking at their past three home matchups, Washington has an puck line record of 0-3 while averaging 2 per game. The team went 1-2 overall in these games.
• The last three games that Washington was the underdog, they have an puck line mark of 1-2 while going 0-3 straight up.
• As the betting favorite, the Rangers have an puck line mark of just 3-7 in their last ten games. New York posted a straight up mark of 8-2 in these matchups.

Rangers vs Capitals Prediction

For a moneyline pick, I’m taking the Capitals to pick up on a win over the Rangers at home. With the moneyline sitting at +149, I’ll be locking in a bet on the Capitals straight-up.

If you’re looking to get a bet down on this matchup, we foresee the Capitals winning the underdog. However, if you’re not as confident in the Capitals straight-up, we’d still recommend placing a bet on them to cover the puck line.

With an over/under line sitting at 6 goals, we like this game to surpass that mark and recommend getting a bet down on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.