New Jersey Devils vs Washington Capitals Betting Pick & Prediction 10/12/24
Betting on today’s Devils and Capitals game? Catch the action at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, as the Capitals hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. In this division matchup, the Devils are favored by -1.5 against the Capitals. The over/under for the game is 6.5 goals.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS 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 Saturday, October 12th.
WHY BET THE WASHINGTON CAPITALS:
- Coming in as 1.5 goal favorites, our projections have the Devils picking up a 4-3 win.
- Take the Devils on the moneyline
- On the puck line, we like Capitals (+1.5)
Will the Devils Live Up to Expectations on the Road?
New Jersey’s 4-2 loss to the Maple Leafs dropped them to 2-1-0 on the season. The Devils were favored on the puck line, and the total was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 6 fell just short.
Defensively, the Devils struggled early, giving up three goals in the first period. Jesper Bratt scored for New Jersey with only 42 seconds left in the first, and Timo Meier added another late goal, with just 6 seconds remaining in the second period.
New Jersey’s offense was limited to just two goals in their recent 4-2 loss to Toronto. Jesper Bratt netted his first goal of the season on a power play, while Timo Meier added his second goal of the year. The Devils took 23 shots on goal and registered 21 giveaways.
Timo Meier led the team with five shots on goal, while Bratt scored on one of his two attempts. Brenden Dillon earned his first assist of the season, and Johnathan Kovacevic picked up his second assist on Meier’s goal.
On the defensive side, the Devils gave up the first three goals of the game and another in the second period, leading to a 4-2 loss. Jacob Markstrom made 18 saves with a save percentage of 81.8%. Defensively, New Jersey had 2 takeaways and 31 hits.
Is a Home Win Possible for the Capitals?
New Jersey finished last season 8th in the Eastern Conference with a 25-25 record in those games. They were 40-31-11 overall. In the Metropolitan Division, they went 16-10, placing 4th. At home, the Devils were 22-12-7, while their road record was 18-19-4.
As favorites, New Jersey went 14-3-3, and as underdogs, they were 28-28-8. Their puck line record was 20-62. Their games averaged 5.8 goals, and their average total line was 6. Their over/under record was 34-42-6.
Last season, the Capitals ranked 24th in the NHL in scoring, averaging just 2.6 goals per game. They also finished 27th in assists. They struggled with giveaways, ending the season 23rd in the league.
Washington was last in the NHL in shots on goal, averaging only 26.4 per game. They ranked 17th in power play goals but were 11th in shorthanded goals.
Washington’s defense ranked 16th in the NHL last season, allowing 3 goals per game on average. They were 9th in takeaways and 16th in shots allowed per game. The Capitals recorded seven shutouts, which was the second-highest total in the league.