Washington Capitals vs Minnesota Wild Prediction 1-2-25 NHL Picks

In this article, we will formulate a Washington Capitals vs Minnesota Wild Prediction for this NHL game on Thursday, January 2nd at the Capital One Arena. Let’s take a look at a Capitals vs Wild Pick. 

Wild Back on Right Track

The Wild look to be back on the right track after their offensive explosion in the last game. The Wild scored five goals, including three in the second period and that was enough for the victory. Marco Rossi had a strong game scoring two goals and adding one assist. Filip Gustavsson saved 42 of the 45 shots that he faced and they need to try and limit how many shots he faces. Two games ago against the Ottawa Senators, it wasn’t the same story and they ended up losing 3-1. 

The Wild are averaging 2.94 goals while their defense is giving up 2.68 goals per game. The offense is ranked 20th in the league while the defense is ranked 6th. Kirill Kaprizov has scored 23 goals and added 27 assists. One issue for the WIld is they are dealing with some injury issues heading into this game. Kaprizov is dealing with a lower-body injury and is out for this game. Jared Spurgeon was knocked out of the last game with a questionable hit and he’s also been ruled out of this game. This game is another chance to make a statement about how good they are. Gustavsson could be in goal in this game and he has a 17-6-3 record and a save percentage of 92.4 percent. He also has two shutout wins. 

Capitals Defense Stepped Up

The Capitals defense sure stepped up in the last game against the Boston Bruins and that was enough for the victory. The Capitals gave up only one goal to the Boston Bruins and ended up winning by two. Aliaksei Protas had a strong game scoring two goals. Logan Thompson was in goal and he saved 26 of the 27 shots that he faced. Two games ago against the Detroit Red Wings, the Capitals scored two goals, but the defense gave up four goals, and that led to the defeat. 

The Capitals are averaging 3.64 goals while their defense is giving up 2.59 goals per game. The offense is ranked 2nd in the league while the defense is ranked 4th. What’s even more impressive is they are ranked 28th in the league in terms of shots on goal, so that makes the offense even better. They are an efficient team with their shooting. Alex Ovechkin is back, and that is a big boost for this team. Logan Thompson is expected to be in goal for the Capitals and he has been impressive sitting with a 15-2-2  record overall and giving up 2.3 goals per game. 

Why the Capitals Will Beat the WIld

• The Capitals have won seven of their last eight games at Capital One Arena following a home win.
• The Wild have lost four of their last five games following a win.
• The Capitals have covered the puck line in each of their last four games at Capital One Arena.
• The Wild have lost the first period in each of their last four road games.

Washington Capitals vs Minnesota Wild Prediction

Give me the home team here. Yes, the Wild scored five goals in the last game, but not having two of their best offensive players in this game is going to really hurt. Logan Thomspon has been so dominant and he’s giving up only 2.3 goals per game. The Wild’s offense is going to really struggle to get any sort of offense going here, and Washington will get the job done. Back the Capitals on the money line.