Washington Capitals vs. New Jersey Devils Same Game Parlay: Can Jack Hughes, Devils Get Pucks on Net?
Washington Capitals vs. New Jersey Devils Prediction: Can Jack Hughes, Devils Outplay Capitals?
After a crazy Tuesday of every single team in the NHL playing in 16 games, the NHL has just two teams in action tonight - the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals. Both played yesterday, leading to a back-to-back today for both teams.
Capitals vs. Devils Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: October 25, 2023
- Game Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: TNT, Max
Washington Capitals vs. New Jersey Devils Prediction
The Capitals lost their game yesterday against the Maple Leafs by a score of 4-1, meaning they have now dropped three straight contests, starting their season 1-3-1 (one overtime loss). The Capitals have struggled both on offense and on defense this year, getting slow starts from Alex Ovechkin, Dylan Strome, and T.J. Oshie.
The Devils enter tonight's game off of back-to-back wins against the Canadiens and Islanders. The Devils have started 3-1-1 and have lost one game in regulation over their first five contests, which was against the Panthers, last year's Stanley Cup finalist.
The Devils may be one of the most exciting young teams in the NHL right now, with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt leading the way early on this season in points. Jack Hughes has been all over the ice, leading the NHL with 14 points in his first five games. He has just four goals but has lit up the passing game with 10 assists already. He has been a menace on the ice early in his fifth season, and may very well be the best center in the league this season.
The Capitals have a bit of a goalie situation tonight, given that starter Darcy Kuemper started last night's game, and Charlie Lindgren is injured. This means Hunter Shepard will make his first NHL start of his career. Shepard is debuting behind an offense that is giving up 3.8 goals per game, 28th in the NHL, while allowing 30 shots on goal per game, which is 14th in the NHL. The Capitals do not have a strong defense, so the Devils' high-powered offense should feast here.
The Devil's offense is averaging four goals per game early on this season and is putting up 34 shots per game, which is fourth in the NHL. They also have the best power play so far, scoring on 44% of their man advantages. Tonight, against a goalie making his first NHL appearance, I expect the Devils' plan will be to be very aggressive and make Shepard uncomfortable in the net. The Capitals have looked shaky to start the season, and Ovechkin may be at the end of his career. This young and hungry Devils team should feast in this matchup and win.
However, the moneyline is pretty juiced at -255, so I'm adding Jack Hughes to have 3+ shots on goal to bring this line down to -140, which is much more playable. I just talked about how Jack Hughes leads the NHL in points this season, which just speaks to how he is the focal point of this offense. The unit runs through Hughes, and while he dishes the puck off a lot, he gets plenty of opportunities off of rebounds, and he loves to put the puck on net as well. He has hit 3+ shots on goal in all but one game this season, hitting six shots in three of his five games. Three is very doable for him.
Washington Capitals vs. New Jersey Devils Same Game Parlay (-140) (Bet $140 to collect $240)Â Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
- Leg One: Devils ML
- Leg Two: Jack Hughes 3+ Shots on Goal
NHL Odds
Article Author
Ben Rajavuori is a handicapper out of Minneapolis, MN. He has been creating sports content for almost four years now and is an expert in all things NFL, MLB, NBA, UFC, and NCAAB. Ben thrives on diving deep into statistics to find the best angle on every bet. You can follow him on Twitter @WeBeatTheSpread.