Our Devils vs. Capitals prediction lands on an unusual Saturday slot, with a 1:00 PM ET puck drop at Capital One Arena. Washington sits as a modest home favorite at -120, and the full-game total is parked at 6.0. That price is not where the market started. New Jersey opened as the favorite on Friday afternoon, and the number has since flipped completely. Both teams arrive at 4-3-0 and tied on points in the Metropolitan Division. Below we work through the goaltending, the shot-volume gap and the special-teams mismatch before landing on our plays.
Last Updated: October 17, 2026
New Jersey Devils vs. Washington Capitals — Game Info
| Where | Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C. |
| When | October 17 – 1:00 PM ET |
| TV | NHL Network, MNMT, MSGSN |
New Jersey Devils vs. Washington Capitals Betting Preview
Start in the crease, because that is where this price lives. Washington is expected to go back to Logan Thompson. He has started five of seven games and carries a .904 save percentage with a 2.84 goals-against average. He has also finished above .900 in four of those five starts. New Jersey is expected to turn to Jake Allen, who sits at .885 with a 2.98 goals-against average across four starts. Neither start was confirmed when this was written, so treat the read as provisional. Charlie Lindgren handled Wednesday’s win over Montreal, and Nico Daws played Thursday for New Jersey. Both projected starters last worked on Tuesday, so each arrives on four days of rest.
The underlying numbers tell a stranger story than the matching records do. New Jersey leads the NHL in shots for per game at 35.57 and allows just 25.0. Washington is on the wrong side of that ledger, generating 26.29 shots per game while allowing 29.43. However, the Capitals have converted at a far higher rate. They have 24 goals on 184 shots, against New Jersey’s 23 goals on 249 shots. League-wide, teams are shooting 11.45 percent. One of those rates is running hot and the other is running cold.
Special teams cut cleanly in one direction. Washington kills penalties at 83.33 percent, 12th in the league. New Jersey kills at 71.43 percent, 26th, after allowing six power-play goals on 21 chances. In contrast, the Devils draw 3.57 power plays a night and convert at 20.00 percent. Washington has also taken 77 penalty minutes in seven games to New Jersey’s 55. The Capitals win 51.8 percent of their faceoffs to New Jersey’s 49.1 percent.
Availability matters here. Washington is without Pierre-Luc Dubois for a fourth straight game with an illness, and Rasmus Sandin remains out with a knee injury. Matt Roy practiced fully on Friday and is questionable, while Justin Sourdif missed Friday’s session. New Jersey will be without Luke Evangelista for a third straight game. Connor Brown, Nick Bjugstad and Seamus Casey are all on injured reserve. Alex Tuch leads Washington with five goals in seven games, while Jack Hughes paces New Jersey with nine points. These teams split four meetings last season, and New Jersey took the most recent one 7-3 on April 2.
New Jersey Devils vs. Washington Capitals Odds
| Puck Line | Moneyline | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devils | +1.5 (-285) | +100 | O 6.0 (-122) |
| Capitals | -1.5 (+235) | -120 | U 6.0 (+102) |
Odds accurate as of October 17, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latestNHL Odds –Futures –Props
New Jersey Devils vs. Washington Capitals — Who Is the Public Betting?
| Devils | 65% | 35% | Capitals |
See the latest NHL Public Betting Splits and make smarter wagers!
Devils vs. Capitals Prediction — New Jersey’s Busiest Skater Plays Defense
Luke Hughes is playing the heaviest minutes on the New Jersey roster. He averages 24:06 of ice time per game and has not dropped below 21:41 in any of the seven games. He runs the top pair alongside Brett Pesce, takes power-play work, and already has 22 shots on goal. That volume is not a one-week spike either. His rate has climbed in each of the last three seasons, from 1.70 per game, to 2.21, and now to 3.14. On Thursday he recorded the first two-goal game of his career in a 7-1 win over the Rangers.
The matchup supports that workload. New Jersey leads the league in shot generation, and Washington allows the seventh-most shots per game in the NHL. Washington also sits 20th in shots for, which means New Jersey should spend long stretches with the puck. Then add the penalty differential. The Capitals have taken 77 penalty minutes in seven games, and the Devils average more than three and a half power plays a night. That is where a mobile defenseman gets his cleanest looks.
Still, the case against is straightforward. Seven games is a small sample, and his career rate of 430 shots in 230 appearances sits well below what he is doing now. Two of those seven games produced a single shot, so the floor is real. Thompson also faced 34 shots at Carolina on Tuesday, which suggests Washington is willing to absorb volume rather than open the game up. If New Jersey trails early, Hughes spends more of his afternoon defending than attacking. Even so, the market prices him off his career baseline rather than his current role. The role is what he plays on Saturday.
The Pick: Luke Hughes 3+ Shots on Target (+146)
Devils vs. Capitals Prediction — Washington Keeps Winning While Getting Outshot
Washington’s 4-3-0 record has been built on finishing, not on territory. The Capitals are being outshot by roughly three attempts a night, yet they have scored 24 goals on only 184 shots. That conversion rate sits well clear of the 11.45 percent league mark, and it is unlikely to hold. Meanwhile, the half of the scoreboard that belongs to Washington projects quiet. The Capitals generate 26.29 shots a game, and New Jersey allows just 25.0. Two low-volume inputs do not usually combine into a loud afternoon. Thompson has also been steady enough to keep the other end honest.
The counterargument deserves real weight. Allen’s .885 mark is the softest number in this matchup. New Jersey’s 26th-ranked penalty kill also hands Washington a route to goals it cannot find at even strength. For Washington this is also the second game of a five-game homestand and has had two full days of rest. The Capitals beat Montreal 5-4 in a game we previewed on Wednesday. Empty-net goals cut against this read as well, and a tie after 60 minutes guarantees another goal in overtime or a shootout. The market has drifted slightly toward more scoring since the open, which is a warning rather than support. We will still take the position, with the edge described as modest rather than large.
The Pick: Under 6.0 (+102)
Our Final Word on Devils vs. Capitals
One angle remains, and it is the side. New Jersey opened as the favorite on Friday afternoon and is now the underdog, a full 20-cent swing. No change to either lineup has been reported in that window. Nothing in the underlying profile moved either. The Devils still lead the league in shot generation, still allow the eighth-fewest shots, and still carry the better process numbers. New Jersey Hockey Now put their five-on-five expected-goals share at 61.77 percent, third in the NHL, through games played on October 13. Backing the better territorial team at a fair number beats laying a short price on the side the market has already found. Be clear about the conflict, though. Spread tickets sit 65 percent on New Jersey while that number ran the other way, and Washington holds the goaltending edge. All three of our plays also lean on the same picture of New Jersey controlling the puck.
The Pick: Devils Moneyline (+100)
Luke Hughes 3+ Shots on Target at +146 is the strongest number here, because the market prices his volume off an older, smaller role. Under 6.0 at +102 follows, since Washington’s 26-shot attack meeting New Jersey’s 25-shot defensive profile caps the scoring. The Devils moneyline at +100 rounds it out, since even money fairly rewards the better underlying team after a 20-cent drift.
NHL Devils vs. Capitals FAQ: October 17, 2026
What time does the Devils vs. Capitals game start?
The Devils and Capitals drop the puck at 1:00 PM ET on Saturday, October 17, 2026. That makes it the earliest start on the day’s 14-game NHL board. Capital One Arena hosts the matinee, and both clubs come in at 4-3-0 through seven games.
What channel is the Devils vs. Capitals game on?
NHL Network carries the game nationally in the United States. Regionally, MNMT has the broadcast in the Washington market, and MSGSN carries it across the New York and New Jersey area. All three listings appear on the league’s own schedule for this game.
Where are the Devils and Capitals playing?
The game is at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., which is the Capitals’ home building. Washington has stayed home since beating Montreal 5-4 on Wednesday, and this is the second game of a five-game homestand. New Jersey is playing only its third road game of the season.
Where do the Devils and Capitals stand in the standings?
Both teams sit on eight points at 4-3-0 through seven games. Washington holds third place in the Metropolitan Division and New Jersey is fourth, separated only by regulation wins. The Capitals have won all four of their games in regulation, while two of New Jersey’s four wins came in overtime.
Who won the last meeting between the Devils and Capitals?
New Jersey won the most recent meeting 7-3 on April 2, 2026, at Prudential Center. The two clubs split last season’s four-game series 2-2. Three of those four games were decided by a single goal, which makes the April blowout the outlier rather than the pattern.