New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals Picks and Prediction for Wednesday, December 31, 2025
It’s a Metropolitan Division tilt on the ice as a pair of crosstown rivals trying to pick up two points collide on the ice in the nation’s capital when the New York Rangers take on the Washington Capitals Wednesday afternoon and we have the inside scoop with our Rangers vs. Capitals prediction. New York fell 3-2 in overtime to Carolina on the road in their previous contest Monday night. Washington fell 5-3 to Florida on the road in their previous game Monday night. In the last 10 meetings between the teams, the Rangers own a 6-3-1 advantage, including a 7-3 road win in the most recent meeting December 23. Read more about this Rangers vs. Capitals prediction! Our NHL Predictions are sure to provide a great payout. Check them out!
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Rangers Seeking to Maintain Road Warrior Status
New York dropped to 1-2-1 in their last four games as they fell in overtime to Carolina on the road Monday night. The Rangers fell to 19-17-5 on the year and entered Tuesday fifth in the Metropolitan Division, eight points behind the Hurricanes for the top spot. New York is 31st in the league with an average of 2.54 goals per game. The Rangers are 7th in goals against by allowing 2.68 goals per game this season. New York is 17th when it comes to success with the man advantage as they have converted 19% of their power play opportunities this season. The Rangers are 15th in the league by successfully navigating 80.5% of their shorthanded situations on the season.
Against Carolina, New York managed to earn a point but ended up falling in overtime on the road. The Rangers were outshot 13-5 in the opening period of play and skated off with the game tied at one after 20 minutes of play. Vladislav Gavrikov opened the scoring with a power play goal, his seventh of the year, at 1:39 off assists from Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. They gave up the equalizer later in the stanza. In the second period, New York owned a 9-7 advantage in shots and scored the lone goal of the stanza to take a 2-1 lead at the second intermission. Jonny Brodzinski gave New York the lead with his fourth goal of the year at 13:00 off assists from Sam Carrick and Matthew Robertson. The third period saw the Rangers outshot 11-6 and outscored 1-0 to send the game to overtime tied at two. In overtime, New York was outshot 4-0 and gave up the winning goal with 13 seconds remaining to wind up with the loss. Igor Shesterkin made 32 saves for the Rangers, who were outshot 35-20, in the loss. Jonathan Quick (3-5-1, 1.79 GAA, .937 save percentage, shutout) is expected to get the start in goal here.
Key Injury Report for Rangers:
- Left wing J.T. Miller (upper body) is out.
- Defenseman Adam Fox (upper body) is out.
- Center Adam Edstrom (lower body) is day-to-day.
Washington Trying to End 2025 on Positive Note
Washington dropped to 2-5-2 in their last nine games as they were beaten on the road by Florida Monday night. The Capitals entered Tuesday 20-14-5 on the year and stood tied for third in the Metropolitan Division, six points behind the Hurricanes. Washington is 11th in the league in goals per game with 3.18 goals per contest on the year. The Capitals are 8th in the league in goals against as they allow an average of 2.74 goals per contest. Washington is 30th in the league in power play success as they have converted 15.2% of their chances with the man advantage this season. The Capitals are 26th in penalty killing as they successfully navigate through 76.6% of their shorthanded situations this season.
Against Florida, Washington had a third-period meltdown and it proved to be their undoing on the road Monday night. The Capitals saw the shots even at 10 in the opening period and skated off with the game tied at two at the first intermission. Tom Wilson opened the scoring with his 18th goal of the year at 3:53 off assists from Martin Fehervary and Dylan Strome. After giving up a pair of goals to trail 2-1, Wilson tallied his second of the night and 19th of the year, on the power play, at 19:17 off assists from Strome and Jakob Chychrun. In the second period, Washington owned a 12-8 shot edge with neither team scoring, keeping the game even at two after 40 minutes. The third period saw the Capitals outshot 11-5 and outscored 3-1 to take the loss. Strome gave the Capitals a 3-2 lead with his eighth goal of the year at 3:11 off assists from Wilson and Aliaksei Protas. That was the high point for Washington, who surrendered the game’s final three goals to wind up with the loss. Logan Thompson made 24 saves for the Capitals, who were outshot 29-27, in the loss. Charlie Lindgren (5-4-2, 3.07 GAA, .887 save percentage, shutout) is expected to get the start for Washington here.
Key Injury Report for Capitals:
- Left wing Pierre-Luc Dubois (abdomen) is out.
Rangers vs. Capitals Pick
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The Insiders Room | +1,793.00 |
| 2 |  Tony Karpinski | +1,731.00 |
| 3 |  Jesse Schule | +1,599.00 |
| 4 |  Rob Vinciletti | +1,284.00 |
| 5 |  David Delano | +1,232.00 |
Rangers vs. Capitals Moneyline Pick
- Rangers +135 (4 units)
Both teams have struggled as 2025 winds down so we have to take a closer look at things. New York is a stellar 14-7-2 on the road this season, which gives them the most road victories in the league. Washington, for all their talent and weapons, have sputtered of late with seven losses in their last nine games. The Capitals are a pedestrian 11-7-2 at home on the year and if this is a matchup of backup netminders, you have to give the advantage to the ageless Quick. Washington has been awful with the man advantage and they were pasted here by this same Blueshirts squad in this building last week. Take the Rangers in this contest.
Rangers vs. Capitals Over/Under Pick
- Under 5.5 (4 units)
New York has stayed under the total in 27 of their 41 games of the season, with one push. The Rangers have an average total of 5.22 goals per game this season. In their 23 road games on the year, that number climbs to 5.35 goals a night. Washington has seen the under post an 18-18-3 mark in their first 39 games on the year. The Capitals have an average total of 5.92 goals per game on the season and that number edges down to 5.90 goals per game as the home squad. With both teams excellent at keeping the puck out of their own net, look for this game to wind up falling short of the number.
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