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The Detroit Red Wings (32-29-6) take on the Washington Capitals (44-15-8) Tuesday. Puck drop from Capital One Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Red Wings vs. Capitals odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: Tied 1-1 with each team winning on home ice
The Wings are starting to break their cold spell after a 3-0 shutout over the Vegas Golden Knights Sunday. LW Lucas Raymond scored his 23rd goal of the year, and G Petr Mrazek stopped all 18 fired his way for Detroit, which won as a +109 home underdog with the Under (6.5) hitting. The Wings, who sit 2 points out of a Wild Card spot, have won 2 of 3 after losing 6 straight.
The Capitals remain firmly atop the Eastern Conference with 96 points, which is 10 more than the second-place Carolina Hurricanes. Washington smoked the San Jose Sharks 5-1 Saturday, covering as a -240 road favorite with the total (6) pushing. LW Alex Ovechkin scored his 34th goal of the season and 887th of his career to pull within 7 of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 goals.
From BetMGM Sportsbook:
Ovechkin goal:
Anytime goal -110; First goal: +800, Last goal: +750
Ovechkin to top Gretzky with his 895th goal this season:
Yes: -225, No: +180
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Red Wings at Capitals odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Red Wings +140 (bet $100 to win $140) | Capitals -165 (bet $165 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Red Wings +1.5 (-170) | Capitals -1.5 (+140)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -120 | U: +100)
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Red Wings at Capitals projected goalies
Petr Mrazek (12-20-2, 3.33 GAA, .892 SV%, 1 SO) vs. Logan Thompson (29-4-5, 2.32 GAA, .916 SV%, 2 SO)
Mrazek has ran as the top goalie since he was acquired from Chicago earlier this month, going 2-1-0 with a 2.01 GAA and .920 SV% in 3 games. This has pushed G Cam Talbot to the bench, and Mrazek has been confirmed for this one. Mrazek faced the Caps once last season in a 4-1 road loss, stopping 22 of 26 shots.
Thompson has rebounded in March from a disastrous February. He’s 4-1-0 with a 2.57 GAA and .894 SV% in 5 March starts. He has been hit-or-miss, though, as you can tell from that shoddy SV%. He was in goal for a 5-2 home win against Detroit March 7, allowing 2 goals on 19 shots.
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Red Wings at Capitals picks and predictions
Prediction
Capitals 4, Red Wings 3
Moneyline
Detroit (+140) needs this game a lot more than Washington (-165), and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Wings victory here. They’re just a bad road team against a great home team.
BET CAPITALS (-165).
Puck line/Against the spread
I would consider Detroit +1.5 here, but -170 is too expensive for me.
Instead, I’ll take ALEX OVECHKIN ANYTIME GOAL (-110). Ovi finished with 3 shots but didn’t score on Mrazek when the Caps faced the then-Blackhawks goalie last season. However, Ovechkin had a hat trick against Mrazek in a 2022-23 meeting with the Blackhawks — a 7-3 Capitals rout.
FYI: There’s a 20% NHL Odds boost token in some BetMGM accounts that takes this -110 to +109.
Over/Under
I’ll take OVER 6 (-120), but there is some push potential. Both teams are 4-4-2 O/U in their last 10. I’m basing this on Washington’s ability to score 4 goals to push this Over. The Caps have scored 4+ in 4 of 5 games.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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