Play of the Day

The New Jersey Devils roll into Capital One Arena tonight as slight underdogs at +110, and honestly, that number feels like a gift. This is a team that has won three straight games, scoring 16 goals across that stretch, and they are playing the best hockey they have played in months. A 6-4 win over the Kings on March 14, a 4-3 overtime thriller against Boston on March 16, and then a dominant 6-3 dismantling of the Rangers on Wednesday night. That is not a team limping toward the finish line. That is a team that has found another gear, and Washington is going to have its hands full tonight.

Jack Hughes Is Carrying This Team

Jack Hughes has been the engine behind everything New Jersey does offensively, and he has been on an absolute tear in March. He is carrying 5 goals and 12 points during the month and has been the best player on the ice in all three of these recent wins. Against the Rangers on Wednesday, Hughes had a goal and two assists, completely dictating the pace of the game and making New York's defense look helpless. When Hughes is engaged and skating like this, the Devils are a completely different team than the one that stumbled through large portions of January and February. The 35-31-2 overall record does not tell the full story of where this team is right now. They are clicking, and Hughes is the reason why.

Washington's Inconsistency Is the Edge

The Capitals sit at 34-27-8, which sounds respectable enough, but this has not been a dominant team at home lately. Washington got smacked 4-1 by Philadelphia on March 11 at Capital One Arena, which is the kind of performance that raises real questions about how locked in this group is defensively. Yes, they bounced back with a 2-1 win over Buffalo on March 12 and a 4-1 win over Ottawa on March 19, but the inconsistency is the issue. You never quite know which version of the Capitals is showing up on a given night, and that is a dangerous trait when you are hosting a team that has been pouring in goals at a 5.3-per-game clip over their last three.

The Matchup Favors New Jersey's Speed

New Jersey's biggest weapon is their transition speed, and that is exactly the type of game that gives Washington problems. The Capitals' defensive structure can get stretched when opponents push the pace, and the Devils have been relentless in transition during this three-game run. Connor Brown added a goal and two assists against the Rangers, and the depth scoring has been showing up consistently. When the Devils are getting contributions up and down the lineup like this, their speed becomes even more dangerous because opposing defenses cannot just key on one line. Washington's penalty kill at 80.0% is league-average, and the Devils' power play at 22.9% can certainly exploit any undisciplined play from the Capitals tonight.

The Bottom Line

You are getting plus money on a team that has won three straight, scored 16 goals in that stretch, and is led by a superstar in Jack Hughes who is playing some of the best hockey of his season. Washington is the home team and slight favorite, but the Capitals have not been consistent enough to warrant laying this price against a Devils squad that is rolling. New Jersey's 2.68 goals per game on the season undersells their current form, and the Capitals' 3.04 goals against per game creates opportunity for a Devils offense that has been firing on all cylinders. At +110, you are getting value on the hotter team, the better current form, and the more dynamic offensive attack. Take the Devils on the road tonight.