Minnesota Wild vs Washington Capitals Betting Pick & Prediction 1/2/25
Don’t miss out on the NHL showdown between the Wild and Capitals. The game is starting at 7:00 ET on ESPN+, and it’s hosted by the Capitals at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. Get ready to place your bets! The over/under for this game is set at 5.5 goals, and the Capitals are favored by -1.5 vs. the Wild in a non-conference matchup.
MINNESOTA WILD VS WASHINGTON CAPITALS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Washington Capitals -1.5
This game will be played at Capital One Arena at 7:00 ET on Thursday, January 2nd.
WHY BET THE WASHINGTON CAPITALS:
- With the Capitals being favored by 1.5, our NHL analytics models has this one playing out 4-3 in favor of the Capitals.
- Take the Capitals on the moneyline
- On the spread, we like Wild (+1.5)
Will the Wild Find a Way to Win in Washington?
With a 2-1 overtime win against the Maple Leafs, the Wild improved to 23-11-4. Minnesota entered the game as -1.5 goal favorites, but couldn’t cover the puck line. The total for the game was set at 6 goals, but the teams combined for just 3.
Ryan Hartman opened the scoring for the Wild at 9:41 in the first period, but the Maple Leafs tied it up with just 52 seconds left in the period. Matt Boldy scored the game-winner at 2:14 in overtime.
Ryan Hartman netted his third goal of the season, while Matt Boldy added his sixth, scoring the game-winner in overtime as the Wild defeated the Maple Leafs 2-1. Jared Spurgeon contributed with two assists, bringing his season total to three.
Despite scoring just twice, Minnesota fired 33 shots on goal. The Wild were held scoreless in the second and third periods before Boldy’s decisive goal at 2:14 into overtime. They finished the game with 15 giveaways.
Defensively, the Wild will look to carry their momentum from the previous game, where they allowed just one goal to Toronto. Filip Gustavsson posted 27 saves with a 96.4% save percentage. Minnesota’s defense also recorded 7 takeaways and 22 hits. The only goal they allowed came at 19:08 in the first period, a power-play goal from William Nylander.
Do the Capitals Have What it Takes to Win as Home Favorites?
Washington’s 4-2 loss to the Hurricanes dropped their record to 25-10-2. The Capitals were the underdogs on the puck line, and the total of 6 goals pushed the pre-game line.
After trailing 1-0, Washington scored twice in the first period to take the lead. However, the Hurricanes responded with three unanswered goals, including one in the second period and an empty-netter in the third.
Alex Ovechkin netted his 7th goal of the season on a power play at 19:16 in the first period, followed by Brandon Duhaime’s 2nd goal just 33 seconds later. The Capitals took 21 shots on goal but were held scoreless in the second and third periods.
Washington recorded 15 giveaways and added 3 assists to their 2 goals. Nic Dowd picked up his 2nd assist of the season, while Dylan Strome notched his 13th, and John Carlson earned his 7th assist on Ovechkin’s power-play goal.
Washington’s defense gave up the first goal against Carolina at 5:59 in the first period and three more after taking a 2-1 lead, including an empty-netter with 9 seconds left in the third. Charlie Lindgren made 41 saves with a 93.2% save percentage, while the defense recorded 2 takeaways and 20 hits.