Rangers and Caps Eye Metro Points

The Rangers currently have a stronghold on third place in the Metropolitan Division. They are four points ahead of the Washington Capitals and look to grow that lead even further in this Rangers vs Capitals game.

The Capitals have gotten back to their winning ways, winning three out of their last four and getting closer to that third-place spot. While they are currently leading the wild-card race, getting to that third seed and a sure playoff spot has to be the goal. 

These two teams, Rangers vs Capitals, have not played each other since the first game of the season. The Capitals got the best of the Rangers and won with a lopsided victory 5-1.

This game feels like a toss-up at this point in the season, and sportsbooks seem to agree. With the odds sitting right around a pick’em for this game.

The Rangers have been playing solid hockey as of late. They have won four of their last five games and had to win a close one 2-1 in their last game against the Ottawa Senators.

Offensively, the Rangers have not been anything spectacular. They are scoring 2.96 goals per game, which is 16th in the NHL.

Artemi Panarin has been the guy Rangers fans hoped he would be since coming over in 2019. He is leading the team in points with 55, scoring 14 goals, and assisting on 41 others.

Mike Zibanejad has been the breakout star for the Rangers, accumulating more points already this season than he had all last year. He is currently second on the team with 51 points, scoring 19 goals and assisting on 32 others.

Igor Shesterkin has been the big story in New York. The Rangers’ goaltender has a record of 24-5-2 and is only giving up 2.01 goals per game. 

Shesterkin is in his third year with the Rangers and his first year as the main goaltender. If he can continue to make these strides, the Rangers look poised to make a run in the playoffs.

Finally, looking like the hockey team fans expect, the Capitals have found themselves back in the hunt. After several small losing streaks of four or five games, the Capitals seem to have found their rhythm and have won three of their last four.

The Capitals find themselves just outside of the top 10 in terms of goals scored, averaging 3.25 goals scored per game. In their last five games, the Capitals are averaging 3.8 goals per game.

The Capitals are also close to getting T.J. Oshie back from the injury report. He is due back at the beginning of March and could be a huge help to that offense.

The Capitals are led by one of the best players in all of hockey in Alex Ovechkin. He has accumulated 62 total points to lead the team, scoring 31 goals and assisting on 31 others.

Evgeny Kuznetsov is having a great year as well. He is second on the team with 48 total points, scoring 15 goals and assisting on 33 others.

Ilya Samsonov has been the main goaltender for the Capitals. He has a record of 17-7-3 and is giving up 2.84 goals per game.

Neither team will have a huge advantage with this game being played in New York. The Rangers have been solid at home, while the Capitals have been just as good on the road.

Goaltending will be the major factor in this game. If the Capitals do not score early, they will let Shesterkin get in his groove and be dominant again.

When making your NHL picks, take the New York Rangers moneyline.