NHL.com identifies key gameday matchups and players to watch throughout the 2023-24 season.
---
Note: Betting lines provided by Betway (U.S., Ontario)
---
1. Washington Capitals at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, MSG 2)
WSH moneyline: +180
NYR moneyline: -225
The Capitals defeated the Rangers 4-0 at home in their first matchup of the season Dec. 9, with goalie Charlie Lindgren having a 31-save shutout. Washington is 3-0-1 in its past four games and ranks third in the NHL in team save percentage (.913) this season, while New York is 10th in the category (.907). The Rangers have the best points percentage in the NHL (.734) and are 11-4-0 at home, and the Capitals are 8-5-2 on the road. New York has the best power play in the NHL (31.1 percent), but Washington is tied for the ninth-best penalty kill percentage (82.7).
Capitals forward Tom Wilson scored a goal against the Rangers on Dec. 9 and is one of three Washington players with at least 10 this season (others: Dylan Strome has 13; Anthony Mantha has 10). The Rangers have two of the NHL’s goal-scoring leaders in forwards Artemi Panarin (18; tied for eighth) and Chris Kreider (17; tied for 10th). Panarin is also tied for fifth in points (44 in 32 games) and tied for second in power-play points (21).
2. Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; BSSUN, BSFL)
Over 6.5 total goals: -125
Under 6.5 total goals: +105
This is the first matchup of the season between the NHL’s two Florida-based teams after they split their series (2-2) last season, with three of the four games totaling five goals. The Panthers are coming off a 4-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday in the first 2023 Stanley Cup Final rematch. Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is tied for fourth in the NHL in wins (15 in 25 games, including two shutouts), while Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy has won three straight games (.938 save percentage in span) and is 7-2-0 (.925 SV%, one shutout) in his past nine games.
Florida has two of the NHL’s goal-scoring leaders in forwards Sam Reinhart (19; tied for fifth) and Carter Verhaeghe (16; tied for 14th), each of whom scored a goal against Vegas on Saturday. Tampa Bay forward Nikita Kucherov leads the NHL in points (57 in 34 games), three ahead of Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon (54 in 34). Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman is tied for second among NHL defensemen in power-play points (six) since Dec. 1 behind Adam Fox (seven) of the Rangers.
3. Detroit Red Wings at Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; BSWIX, BSN, BSDET)
DET puckline (+1.5 goals): -192
MIN puckline (-1.5 goals): +160
The Wild are 10-3-0 since Nov. 28 after hiring John Hynes as coach to replace Dean Evason and coming off a 3-2 home win against the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Five of the 10 wins since the coaching change have come by multiple goals. Minnesota goalie Filip Gustavsson is 7-2-0 with a .936 save percentage and one shutout in his past nine games.
The Red Wings are coming off a 3-2 road loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, falling to 2-7-1 since Patrick Kane’s debut. Kane has eight points (four goals, four assists) and 15 shots on goal over his past four games, including three points (two goals, one assist) in their 7-6 shootout win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday.
Detroit had a 4-1 home win against Minnesota on Nov. 26, the final game of Evason’s tenure with the Wild, who were on a seven-game winless streak at the time. Three Red Wings players had multipoint games in the first matchup: forwards David Perron (two goals), Dylan Larkin (one goal, one assist) and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (one goal, three assists).
---
Canadian Readers
Only available in Ontario, 19+. Bet the responsible way. Visit our Responsible Gambling page or contact us for further details. ConnexOntario provides service information and resources for people experiencing problems with gambling, drugs, alcohol, or mental health. The service is free, confidential, and available anytime. Call ConnexOntario 24/7 at 1-866-531-2600. Text us at 247247 or chat with us at www.connexontario.ca.
U.S. Readers
Odds subject to change. Must be 21+ and present in AZ/CO/IN/IA/LA (permitted parishes)/NJ/OH/PA/VA. Gambling problem? Call/text 1-800-GAMBLER or visit s.betway.com/rg
