The Washington Capitals and the Minnesota Wild meet on Thursday in NHL action from the Xcel Energy Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Washington Capitals vs. Minnesota Wild prediction.
Matchup History
The Minnesota Wild won the lone meeting between these two teams this season in Washington, 4-3 in a shootout, back on January 2nd, 2025. The win made it back-to-back for the Wild and 6 of the last 7 meetings in favor of Minnesota.
Washington Capitals Recap
The Washington Capitals will be out to bounce back from a 3-2 OT loss at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets to sit at 47-15-9 on the year. After this game, Washington will head home for a game against the Buffalo Sabres.
Capitals Have Four-Game Win Streak Snapped
Dylan Strome leads the Capitals with 68 points, including 23 goals and a team-high 45 assists, while Alex Ovechkin has 60 points with 36 goals and 24 assists, and Connor McMichael has added 54 points with 25 goals and 29 assists. Aliaksei Protas has 64 points with 29 goals and 35 assists, while Tom Wilson has 59 points and John Carlson has 46 points, with Wilson logging 31 goals and 28 assists and Carlson adding 41 assists. Pierre-Luc Dubois also has 61 points with 43 assists of his own. Jakob Chychrun has 44 points with 18 goals and 26 assists as well on the year. In goal for Washington, Logan Thompson has gone 31-4-6 with a 2.32 GAA and a .917 save percentage, while Charlie Lindgren is 16-11-3 with a 2.63 GAA and a .901 save percentage this season.
Why the Washington Capitals will win
- The Capitals have won each of their last eight road games after coming off overtime.
- The Capitals have covered the puck line in each of their last eight road games after coming off overtime.
Washington Capitals Player Prop Facts
- Dylan Strome has scored a goal in five of the Capitals’ last six games as favorites.
- Aliaksei Protas has recorded at least one point in each of the Capitals’ last eight games as favorites.
- Nicklas Backstrom has recorded at least one assist in each of his last seven appearances in night games at Xcel Energy Center.
- Aliaksei Protas ranks 1st in the league for Plus/Minus (+43) this season.
Minnesota Wild Recap
The Minnesota Wild come into this game looking to bounce back from a 5-1 loss at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights last time out to slip to 40-27-5 last time out. After this game, the Wild will head home to take on the New Jersey Devils for the first leg of a home-and-home.
Wild Drop Back-To-Back Games
Kirill Kaprizov has 52 points, including 23 goals and 29 assists, while Matt Boldy has 60 points, including 23 goals and 37 assists. Marco Rossi has 54 points with 22 goals and 32 assists, while Mats Zuccarello has 45 points with 17 goals and 28 assists. Filip Gustavsson has gone 28-16-4 with a 2.47 GAA and a .918 save percentage in goal for Minnesota, while Marc-Andre Fleury is 12-9-1 with a 2.78 GAA and a .903 save percentage on the year. Jesper Wallstedt is 0-2 with a 4.09 GAA and an .843 save percentage this season.
Why the Minnesota Wild will win
- The Capitals have lost each of their last five games as favorites against Central Division opponents.
- The Wild have won seven of their last eight night games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Wild have covered the puck line in each of their last nine games against the Capitals.
- The Capitals have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six games as road favorites against opponents on a losing streak.
Minnesota Wild Player Prop Facts
- Marcus Johansson has scored a goal in each of the Wild’s last three games as home underdogs.
- Jonas Brodin has recorded at least one point in each of his last 11 home appearances against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- Jonas Brodin has recorded an assist in nine of his last 10 home appearances against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- Matthew Boldy ranks T1st in the Western Conference for shootout goals (3) this season.
Total Goals Facts
- Seven of the last eight games between the Capitals and Wild at Xcel Energy Center have gone OVER the total goals line.
- Seven of the Capitals’ last eight games as road favorites against opponents on a losing streak have gone OVER the total goals line.
Washington Capitals vs. Minnesota Wild Prediction
I’m on the Capitals here. The Wild have been up and down a lot this season, and we’re now at the point where the Wild are back to having issues on the offensive end, scoring just one goal combined in their back-to-back losses. Washington’s been one of the most balanced and consistent teams regardless of venue this entire season, and I think that the Capitals can get the job done on the road here. I’ll roll with Washington here.