Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers Picks and Prediction for Sunday, October 12th, 2025
Use Code SSWC Metro Division foes get at it on the ice Sunday evening, so grab our Capitals and Rangers predictions and settle in for the lone NHL game of the day. Washington (0-1-0, 0 pts.) fell 3-1 against Boston in their season opener on Wednesday. New York (1-1-0, 2 pts.) picked off a 4-0 win against Buffalo in their first road test of the season on Thursday night. These two will get at it with an opening faceoff from Madison Square Garden scheduled for 7:00 EST. Looking to win big this hockey season? We have the best NHL Picks to help you out!
*(This was published prior to the conclusion of Saturday night’s games.)
Capitals offense slow to get going
The Capitals get to spend their weekend in the New York metro area following their Saturday tilt against the *Islanders. Against Boston, they started extremely slowly, going scoreless through nearly two and a half periods before striking just once. The goal actually tied the game at the time, but Boston scored 38 seconds later and added an empty netter late.
Tom Wilson picked up the team’s lone goal on Wednesday night. He had three of the team’s 36 shots on the night and five of their 35 hits. The team went 0-for-5 on the power play and had 15 giveaways in the loss. Jacob Chychrun led the team with four shots and two takeaways. The defenseman also assists on Wilson’s goal, along with Aliaksei Protas. Alex Ovechkin logged 18:16 of ice time in the opening game of his 21st season. The NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer got off three shots and was a -1 on his 21 shifts.
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Washington was solid on the defensive end, allowing only 22 shots on the night. Special teams allowed Boston to score on one of their two power play chances, followed by the empty netter in the final minute. John Carlson had a game-high 26:39 on the ice and blocked a team-best five shots. He also picked up one of the team’s two penalties. Logan Thompson was the loser in net, making 19 saves in the loss. He was also in the crease for the team’s Saturday night tilt in Saturday, so Charlie Lindgren should make his season debut between the pipes in this matchup. Last season, Lindgren went 20-14-3 with a 2.73 GAA and a .896 save percentage.
Team notes
- RD Dylan McIlrath, on the IR with a lower-body injury, has been cleared for contact.
- C Nic Dowd went 7-of-7 on faceoffs on Wednesday.
- LW Sonny Milano was a healthy scratch in the first two games.
Rangers get even
The Rangers split their first two games of the season with a pair of shutouts, rebounding from their scoreless opener by pouring in four goals on Thursday night. They got off 33 shots in their win against the Rangers, scoring three periods in the third to pull away. They won 65% of their faceoffs and stopped all 37 shots against them.
Through two games, they’ve averaged 29 shots on goal in their first two games. Alexis Lafreniere, who had a goal and an assist, was leading the league with 11 shots on goal heading into Saturday. Mike Zibanejad was fifth in the league with eight shots but had yet to register a point. LaFreniere and J.T. Miller each had a goal and an assist for a team-best two points. New York’s power play went 0-for-5 through their first two games, and they had a total of six penalties. They also averaged 15.5 giveaways.
The New York defense saw an average of 34 shots on goal go against them in the first two games. Igor Shesterkin was in goal for both and made a total of 65 saves as two of three goals in the season opener were open netters by the Penguins. Shesterkin was looking for his revenge on Saturday night in Pittsburgh, which will allow Jonathan Quick to make his debut in this game on Sunday. Adam Fox averaged a team-high 22:51 of ice time in two games and his d-pair, Vladislav Gavrikov, had 21:06 on the ice with a +2. The team was 100% on the penalty before Saturday’s action.
Team notes
- C Vincent Trocheck is week-to-week with an upper-body injury, according to the team.
- C Juuso Parssinen was a healthy scratch in the first two games but debuted on Saturday.
- C Noah Laba was 12-for-16 on faceoffs in the first two games.
Capitals vs. Rangers Picks
Spread Pick for Capitals vs. Rangers
- Rangers -113 (4 units)
The Caps swept the three-game season series between these two last season, including a 3-2 overtime win in New York when they last met in March. Spending the weekend in the Big Apple, Washington will have less travel time to this one from their Saturday gig than the Rangers have. Regardless, the hosts won’t be too affected by a short plane flight from Pittsburgh since this one doesn’t get rolling until the evening. The matchup will feature the debut for both teams’ backup goalies. The veteran Quick is a wonderful option to have in that role, which gives me reason to lean in their direction. Another is that they were quick to reverse their fortune from their opener to their next game. That tells me that they can make the quick adjustments as needed here. The Rangers are 5-3 in the last eight games against the Caps.
Take the home team in this one.
Over/Under Pick for Capitals vs. Rangers
- Over 5.5 (5 units)
Both teams seem due to have an early-season offensive breakout and this would be a good game for it. They’ve both been able to get their legs warmed up on Saturday. Both are also fielding their backup goaltending options. While that doesn’t always indicate a high scorer, I think it at least opens things up a bit more for both sides. Washington will need to find a few more goal scorers to contribute, but they were able to get plenty of shots off in their season opener, so they will make their chances. The Rangers have enough firepower to put themselves in a position to score often. The over is 4-2 in the last six games between these two.
Take the over.
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