Red Wings vs. Capitals Odds, Picks, Predictions: Surging Detroit Ready to Take Down Washington

Check your rearview mirror because the Detroit Red Wings are closer than they appear. Detroit visits the Washington Capitals on Tuesday in a matchup of two teams battling for playoff position. Here is sports betting analyst Scott Cullen's top NHL pick for the showdown based on the best NHL odds.

The Detroit Red Wings have stormed back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture, winning five straight games before losing Saturday in Seattle. The Red Wings have 60 points in 55 games, leaving them four points out of a playoff spot, with five games in hand.

Heading in the other direction, the Washington Capitals are fading after four straight losses, yet they are still just two points out of the playoffs with two games in hand. 

Here is our best Red Wings vs. Capitals NHL pick (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook; pickconfidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Red Wings vs. Capitals pick

Red Wings ML (+140 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A month ago, the Detroit Red Wings looked like sure sellers before the NHL trade deadline. After going 8-4 in the past 12 games, however, the Wings are relatively healthy and making a push for the postseason.

Dylan Larkin has led the charge for Detroit, with seven goals and 16 points in those 12 games, with half of those points coming on the power play.

Jakub Vrana is returning to action for the Red Wings to face his former team. Vrana played two games at the start of the season before entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Since returning to play, he has been stuck in the AHL, where he has six goals and 11 points in 17 games.

The Capitals are in a tough spot, with superstar winger Alex Ovechkin away from the team following the death of his father. Standout defenseman John Carlson has not played since before the December holiday break after getting hit in the head with a puck. Nicklas Backstrom has returned to action following hip surgery, but is not the elite two-way force that he has been throughout his career. Removing the impact of those long-time stars has made everything more difficult for Washington.

Since a 9-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 31, the Capitals are 7-11-1, with three of their seven wins coming in overtime or via shootout.

This is a vulnerable Washington team against a surging Red Wings squad, so I like Detroit as the underdogs.

Red Wings vs. Capitals best odds

DraftKings (+140) 

DraftKings offers a solid edge relative to the rest of our top-rated sportsbooks. I have the Capitals as very small favorites on home ice, in the -115 range, so grabbing the DraftKings price offers strong value relative to my expectations for this game.

There is relative consistency from the other sportsbooks, priced at +135, though FanDuel again has the least-appealing number on the board.

Red Wings vs. Capitals odds

Red Wings vs. Capitals odds analysis

FanDuel opened with the Capitals as a -152 favorite on the moneyline while the Red Wings were priced at +126. 

Just 52% of wagers are on the Capitals, but there has been some line movement, with Washington at -156 and Detroit at +130.

The total has been steady at 6, with opening odds at -114 for the Over and -106 for the Under. There has been action on both sides of the number, with 51% of the consensus wagers on the Under at 49% on the Over, so despite brief movement, the Over remains at -114 and the Under at -106. 

Red Wings vs. Capitals game info

• Date: Tuesday, Feb. 21, 7 p.m. ET
• TV: NHLPP, ESPN+, Sportsnet (Ontario, East), NBCSWA, BSDET
• Location: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC

Red Wings-Capitals pick made 2/21/2023 at 12:15 p.m. ET.

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