New Jersey Devils vs Washington Capitals Prediction, 1/2/2022 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New Jersey Devils vs Washington Capitals

Date: Sunday, January 2, 2022

Location: Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

TV: NBC Sports Washington

Capital One Arena is the site where the Washington Capitals (19-6-7) will go up against the New Jersey Devils (11-15-5) on Sunday.

The New Jersey Devils went home feeling good about their game by earning a 4-3 victory against the Sabres in their last outing. New Jersey accumulated 19 penalty minutes in this contest. The Devils had a good offensive performance and it was apparent in the win. Furthermore, they had 2 opportunities with more players on the ice and netted 1 goal. For the game, they finished 4 out of the 42 shots they launched.

The Devils have had 943 shots attempted against them and hold a save percentage of .890. While playing at even strength, the Devils have surrendered 86 goals while scoring 73 on offense. New Jersey Devils opponents have tallied 93 power play tries (11th in hockey) and have a total of 18 goals in those chances. For the current campaign, they have recorded 27 points and their points % is .435. New Jersey has attempted 974 shots and has a shot percentage of 8.7%. When it comes to scoring goals, the New Jersey Devils have accounted for 85 goals (21st in pro hockey) on the year and have allowed 104. New Jersey has tallied 87 power play opportunities and they have notched 12 goals out of those advantages, giving them a rate of 13.79%.

The player protecting the goal in this game is Mackenzie Blackwood. Over the course of his pro career, Blackwood has compiled 61 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .530. His save percentage is at .910 for his 6,958 minutes between the pipes. Blackwood has seen 3,681 shot attempts against him and has gathered 3,348 total saves. The opposition has racked up 333 goals versus Blackwood in his NHL career and his goals against average per contest is 2.87. He has accumulated a win-loss mark of 52-47-15 and he was named the starter in 115 games. Blackwood has participated in 122 games over the course of his pro hockey career.

Their last time out, Washington faced off against the Predators in an outing where the Capitals took home the victory by a score of 5-3. The Capitals had 5 goals out of the 37 shots on goal they pursued. They had 6 power play attempts in this matchup but were not able to net one.

Washington has put up 1,031 shots (8th in the NHL) and has a shooting percentage of 10.77%, while allowing their opponents 909 shots. They have accumulated a penalty kill rate of 81.93% on their opponents 83 tries on the power play, and their save percentage comes in at 90.9%. They have earned 96 power play opportunities and they have earned a power play rate of 14.58%. The Capitals are sitting with 97 goals at even strength and 14 goals (23rd in the league) while on the power play. They have permitted 83 goals to be scored by way of 68 goals at even strength and 15 goals while they were shorthanded. So far this season, the Washington Capitals have earned a total of 111 goals, 45 points, and a points percentage of .703.

On the other side of the ice you are going to see Ilya Samsonov defending the net. Samsonov is the owner of a lifetime mark of 41-12-5 and has been in net for 62 contests. Samsonov's rate of quality starts comes in at 47.3% and he has earned 26 quality starting assignments in his pro career. He has racked up 1,498 stops out of the 1,650 shots attempted against him, giving him a save percentage of .908. The opposition is averaging 2.63 goals per game and he has conceded 152 goals altogether. He has made the start in 55 games and has been on the ice for 3,473 mins.

Who will win tonight's hockey game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take New Jersey

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