Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers Prediction, Odds and Picks for Wednesday, 03/05/25

Washington Capitals ML over New York Rangers (-118)

The Capitals collected a much-needed 2 points on Monday as they snapped a 3-game losing streak. All in all, despite that short losing streak, things are still just fine for the Caps. Since returning from the 4 Nations break, Washington is 3-3-0 with a +3 goal differential. This team is still ranked 2nd in the NHL for a reason. That losing streak was their longest of the season, and it still was only 3 games before they burst out of it with a 5-goal performance. This Washington team has given no reason all year to fade them. 

The Rangers have played good hockey over their last 5 games, but they have been beating up on weaker teams. Their last 4 wins have come against the Penguins, Islanders twice and Predators. Mixed in there was a loss to the Maple Leafs in their only game against an opponent more than a game over .500. If these teams have proven anything this year, it’s that the Capitals have been a model of consistency and the Rangers have been a model of inconsistency. All things considered, Washington is the more reliable play in this one to start off our Capitals vs Rangers Same Game Parlay picks.

Over 5.5 (-130)

There is likely to be plenty of offense in this game. The Capitals lead the NHL in goals per game, which include performances of 5, 7 and 8 goals in 3 of their last 6 games. The Rangers have found a bit of a scoring touch themselves recently. New York has scored 18 goals in their last 5 games for an average of 3.6 goals scored per game. That stretch includes consecutive 5-goal performances and consecutive 4-goal performances. If the Capitals hold to their season averages and the Rangers hold to their recent averages, the Over has a great look tonight. 

The total has gone Over in 9 of the Capitals’ last 11 games. The total has also gone high in 4 of the last 5 games played head-to-head between these teams. Recent volatility of both teams and the raw offensive talent both give the Over a ton of appeal in this game.

Alexander Ovechkin 4+ shots on goal (-140)

The Capitals have captivated the hockey world for a few reasons this season. But obviously, the biggest has been Alexander Ovechkin’s chase for Wayne Gretzky’s NHL all-time goals record. Ovechkin is just 10 goals shy of tying and 11 goals short of claiming the record. With his ridiculous 31 goals in 45 games played this season, he can score any given night. Even if he doesn’t score a goal, he likely will rack up plenty of shots on goal. 

Ovechkin has led the NHL in shots on goal in 11 seasons of his career. This year, despite injury, he leads the Capitals in shots on goal and is 34 clear of the next-highest shooter. He is averaging nearly 4 shots on goal per game this year, which has ticked up of late. In Ovechkin’s last 7 games, he has logged 4+ shots in 6 of those as part of an average of 4.8 shots on goal per game during that span. Ovechkin plays on the top line and top power play, and plays with talented players that continue to feed him the puck. Look for Ovechkin to rack up shots on goal and push to get even closer to Gretzky’s record. This is a great spot to hopefully land our Capitals vs Rangers Same Game Parlay.