Washington Capitals vs New Jersey Devils Prediction: Expect bright and productive game

Prediction for the NHL Washington Capitals vs New Jersey Devils match, which will take place on April 14. Check the team conditions and choose several betting options.

Washington failed in the regular season, making it the first time they failed to make the playoffs in nine years. There were hints of such a weak performance by the Capitals back in the offseason when key players decided to address their health, causing them to miss a significant portion of the season. Many other hockey players have been in the club's infirmary. They had decent stretches occasionally, but a string of upsets followed them. Since late March, Washington quit fighting altogether, allowing seven losses in their last eight meetings, beating only the Islanders 5:2. The Capitals sit just 13th in the Eastern Conference.

New Jersey Devils were the league's underdogs all last years, but now Lindy Ruff finally completed the personnel restructuring, which led to the global improvement. From the beginning of the regular season, the Black and Reds began to show good results, ending up in the group of league leaders, while they managed to spend the whole season at a consistently high level. In the last nine meetings, the Devils had six wins and three losses, which allowed them to climb up to third place in the Eastern Conference standings; they can make one more step up.

Washington finishes the season for themselves with a game against New Jersey. Of course, the Capitals will try to please their home crowd with a decent result, but it will be tough. They dropped their last eight points in seven of the previous eight meetings, while the Devils are in good shape and are fighting for the lead in the Midwest Division, so they do not intend to lose points. Moreover, the statistics of head-to-head encounters also support Lindy Ruff's charges, as they won both of their fights this season - 5:1 and 3:2. As a result, we suggest betting on New Jersey to win.

We have noted that Washington missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years. Therefore in the final home game of the season, the Capitals will not be trying to keep the scoreboard clean. On the contrary, Peter Laviolette's charges will try to play with maximum openness to please their fans with at least some bright and colorful hockey in case they have trouble with the results. The Devils have been quite productive of late, conceding six goals to Winnipeg and giving up eight and six to Columbus and Buffalo, respectively. With that in mind, we expect a total over 6.5, and we should also bet on Ondrej Palat's 0.5-point total.