The set-up: The 13-15-5 New Jersey Devils limp into Washington just 1-8-1 over the last 10 for the opener of a home-and-home series with 20-9-4 Washington Capitals.

New Jersey: The Devils dropped both ends of a home-and-home versus Pittsburgh, after a 5-2 Tuesday home loss to the Penguins. "I don't know what happened," workhorse goaltender Cory Schneider said following the game. "Again, a late goal in the second, 3-2, you would have thought the game was over. You would have thought it was 5-1 at that point. ... I just don't know. They get the next one and there's the game." The loss dropped the Devils into last place in the Metropolitan Division because the New York Islanders moved ahead of New Jersey by ruining the Capitals post-Christmas debut with a 4-3 win in Brooklyn. New York broke a 2-2 tie with a pair of third-period goals and survived two Washington power plays in the final minutes.

Washington: That marked the first time in over a month that the Capitals surrendered four goals. "When you come back after a break, you just need everybody playing well," Capitals head coach Barry Trotz told NHL.com. "You need to go in with a four-line mentality, and I didn't think we had all four lines going as much as I hoped." The top-heavy Metropolitan Division makes the going tough for the Caps, who have struggled against division rivals.

The pick: Washington isn't quite sure why it has had trouble with its Metro foes but the results speak for themselves. The Caps have suffered eight losses in 12 contests versus thir division rivals. I'm taking the 1 1/2 goals and making New Jersey an 8* play.