New Jersey Devils vs Washington Capitals Prediction, 1/3/2024 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New Jersey Devils vs Washington Capitals

Date: Wednesday, January 3, 2024

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

TV: Monumental Sports Network

Odds/Point Spread: Devils (-141) Capitals (+117)

Capital One Arena is where the Washington Capitals (17-11-6) will attempt to defeat the New Jersey Devils (19-14-2) on Wednesday. The odds on this game have the Devils at -141 while the Capitals are at +117. The total is set at 7.

The New Jersey Devils will be looking to get a win in their next outing after their 5-2 defeat against the Bruins their last time on the ice. New Jersey garnered 4 penalty minutes in this game. Additionally, they had 2 chances on the power play and scored 1 goal. The Devils could have played much better offensively in the loss. For the matchup, they scored on 2 of the 33 shots they put on goal.

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With regard to scoring goals, the New Jersey Devils have earned 121 goals (8th in the National Hockey League) for the season and have given up 124. For the year, they have racked up 40 points and their points percentage comes in at .571. New Jersey comes into the game with 109 power play chances and they have added 33 goals out of those attempts, giving them a rate of 30.28%. While playing at even strength, the Devils have surrendered 99 goals while notching 88 of their own. New Jersey has taken 1,112 shots and has a shot percentage of 10.9%. The Devils have seen 1,025 shots attempted against them and have a save percentage of .879. New Jersey Devils opponents have tallied 112 power play opportunities (17th in the NHL) and have a total of 25 goals in those attempts.

The player protecting the goal in this game is Vitek Vanecek. During his career on the ice, Vanecek has 76 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .528. His save percentage is .905 for his 8,621 minutes in the crease. Vanecek has had 4,086 shot attempts taken against him and he has 3,698 total saves. The opposition has notched 388 goals against Vanecek in his professional career and his goals against average per contest is 2.70. He has compiled a mark of 87-40-15 and he was named the starter in 144 games. Vanecek has been involved in 154 games over the course of his pro hockey career.

In their last game, Washington faced off against the Predators in a game where the Capitals got the tie by a final score of 2-2. They had 3 attempts on the power play in this matchup but didn't put one in the back of the net. The Capitals recorded 2 goals out of the 29 shots on goal they took.

So far this year, the Washington Capitals have earned a total of 78 goals, 40 points, as well as a points percentage of .588. They have allowed 95 goals to be scored by way of 76 goals at even strength and 19 goals while they were shorthanded. The Capitals have earned 67 goals at even strength and 11 goals (32nd in professional hockey) while having a power play advantage. They have recorded 96 power play chances and they have a power play rate of 11.46%. Washington has attempted 955 shots (30th in the NHL) and has earned a shot percentage of 8.17%, while allowing their opponents 1,051 shots. They have earned a penalty kill percentage of 82.08% on the other teams 106 chances on the power play, and their save percentage is currently 91.0%.

On the other side of the ice you are likely to see Darcy Kuemper defending the goal. Kuemper is sitting with a career mark of 173-129-45 and has played in 374 contests. Kuemper's quality start rate comes out to 54.9% and he has 195 quality starts in his career. He has tallied 9,760 saves out of 10,667 shots attempted, which gives him a rate of .915. His opponents are averaging 2.58 goals per contest and he has allowed 907 goals in total. He has been a starter 355 games and his ice time sits at 21,127 mins.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Tony's Pick: Take New Jersey (-141)

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