Washington Capitals vs Minnesota Wild Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/16/2025

 

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Venue:  Grand Casino Arena, St Paul, MN

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Capitals +102, Wild -122; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Capitals +100, Wild -120; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Capitals +100, Wild -120; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Washington Capitals:  18-10-4 (3rd place, Metropolitan Division)

Minnesota Wild:  19-9-5 (3rd place, Central Division)

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Washington Capitals:  7-1-2 last 10

Minnesota Wild:  7-2-1 last 10

The Capitals are entering this game with 40 points, a 18-10-4 record overall, and they are 8-5-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Winnipeg Jets in their last game, losing that one on the road 5-1. Jakob Chychrun scored 1 goal for them in that one. Alexander Ovechkin and John Carlson each led the team in assists with 1 while Nic Dowd led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Logan Thompson was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 5 goals on 35 shots with 30 saves and a .857 save percentage. Their offense has scored 106 goals this season averaging 3.3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 83 goals against them allowing 2.6 goals per game.

The Wild are entering this game with 43 points, a 19-9-5 record overall, and they are 11-3-4 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Boston Bruins in their last game, winning that one at home 6-2. Kirill Kaprizov led the team in goals scored with 2 while Ryan Hartman, Matt Boldy, Jared Spurgeon, and Quinn Hughes each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Ryan Hartman and Brock Faber each led the team in assists with 2 while Kirill Kaprizov and Ben Jones each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Filip Gustavsson was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 31 shots with 29 saves and a .935 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 99 goals this season averaging 3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 87 goals against them allowing 2.6 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Wild listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Wild have looked good in their games this season with their 19-9-5 record overall which has them right near the top of their division in the West. They have also looked great on home ice with their 11-3-4 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Capitals have looked good in their games this season with their 18-10-4 record overall which has them right near the top of their division in the East. They have been a good road team too with their 8-5-2 road record this year. The Capitals have also looked great lately as they are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games and they have one of the best defenses in the NHL too. They are off a 5-1 loss to the Jets in their last one though and they struggled against a better defensive team like the Jets. That is going to be an issue here with the Wild also having a great defense, and that defense just got better with the addition of Quinn Hughes. The Wild are off a 6-2 win over the Bruins in their last one and Hughes looked great in his debut with the team. They have also been rolling without him, going 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. The Capitals do have a better offense this year, but not by much, and the Wild have a defense that can go toe-to-toe with the Capitals. The Capitals are off a road loss while the Wild have been rolling lately and the home advantage should give the Wild an edge here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Wild to win this game. 

Capitals Wild Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Tuesday, December 16, 2025 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Wild 3 Capitals 2.

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Washington Capitals: 114-96 (+16.6 units) on the moneyline in all games. 26-27 (+10.3 units) on the moneyline as a road underdog of +100 to +200. 53-37 (+15.3 units) on the moneyline against poor defensive teams - opponents average 29.5+ shots on goal. 23-11 UNDER against good starting goalies - saving 91.5% of shots against or more. 

Minnesota Wild: 45-55 (-6.3 units) on the moneyline revenging a loss versus opponent as a favorite. 39-60 (-13.1 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 27-22 (-4.4 units) on the moneyline as a home favorite of -200 or less. 17-10 UNDER against mistake free teams - opponents average 4 power plays/game or less.

Washington Capitals:  R. Leonard (RW) Out - Shoulder. P. Dubois (LW) Out - Abdomen.

Minnesota Wild:  D. Jiricek (D) Day To Day - Lower Body. J. Brodin (D) Day To Day - Undisclosed. M. Zuccarello (RW) Out - Upper Body. J. Middleton (D) Out - Upper Body. M. Foligno (LW) Out - Lower Body. V. Hinostroza (C) Out - Undisclosed.

“We knew getting Hellebuyck back for their group was going to be a jolt of energy. And then you bring into the desperate group that you're going to face because you know how things have been going for them. So I'm sure everything coming out of their camp is, you know, our season's on the line, desperation, all those types of (things) -- so you knew you were going to get their absolute best effort tonight. So, not good enough from us.” - Spencer Carbery after his team’s loss against the Jets in their game on Saturday.

“The crowd was electric I think just from the, I would say warmups to the introduction and then throughout the game. So, it was great to see the building like that and the guys perform the way that they did. So, it was a great combo.” - John Hynes after his team’s win against the Bruins in their game on Sunday.

LW Alex Ovechkin

C Dylan Strome

RW Anthony Beauvillier

LD Martin Fehervary

RD John Carlson

G Logan Thompson

LW Kirill Kaprizov

C Danila Yurov

RW Vladimir Tarasenko

LD Quinn Hughes

RD Brock Faber

G Filip Gustavsson

Points: Tom Wilson (32)

Goals: Tom Wilson (17)

Assists: John Carlson (18)

GAA: Logan Thompson (2.09)

Points: Matt Boldy (37)

Goals: Kirill Kaprizov (20)

Assists: Matt Boldy (19)

GAA: Jesper Wallstedt (1.95)

Coaches:

Washington Capitals: Spencer Carbery (3rd season)

Minnesota Wild: John Hynes (3rd season)