Washington Capitals vs New Jersey Devils Prediction 10/17/26 NHL Picks Today

The New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals meet Saturday in NHL action from the T-Mobile Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a New Jersey Devils vs. Washington Capitals prediction.

New Jersey Devils Recap

The New Jersey Devils come into this game looking to add on to their 7-1 win over the New York Rangers last tie out to sit at 4-3 this season. After this game, the Devils will head home for a game against Colorado.

Devils Win Back-To-Back Games

Jack Hughes leads the New Jersey Devils through seven games this season with a team-high 9 points, totaling 2 goals and 7 assists. Jesper Bratt sits in second with 7 points on 2 goals and 5 assists, while Nico Hischier records 5 points with a team-high 4 goals and an assist. Dougie Hamilton and Luke Hughes each add 4 points, with Hamilton contributing a goal and 3 assists while Luke Hughes tallies 3 goals and an assist. Evan Rodrigues chips in 4 points with 2 goals and 2 assists, while Amadeus Lombardi, Arseny Gritsyuk, Luke Evangelista, Timo Meier, and Dawson Mercer sit at 3 points apiece. Jesper Boqvist, Anthony Mantha, Brett Pesce, and Stefan Noesen round out New Jersey’s scoring with 2 points each. In net, Jake Allen holds a 3-1-0 record with a 2.98 GAA and an .885 save percentage after stopping 92 of 104 shots, while Nico Daws posts a 1-2-0 mark with a 3.38 GAA and an .857 save percentage after stopping 60 of 70 shots for the Devils up to this point in the season.

Washington Capitals Recap

The Washington Capitals come into this game looking to add on to their 5-4 win over Montreal last time out to sit at 4-3 on the year. After this game, Washington will take on the Los Angeles Kings in a matchup at home.

Capitals Snap Two-Game Slide

Ryan Leonard and Alex Tuch lead the Washington Capitals through seven games this season with 6 points each, with Leonard contributing 2 goals and 4 assists, while Tuch leads the squad with a team-high 5 goals alongside an assist. Tom Wilson and Dylan Strome sit tied for second with 5 points apiece, with Wilson chipping in 2 goals and 3 assists while Strome dishing out a team-high 5 assists. Jordan Kyrou, Ilya Protas, Cole Hutson, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Boone Jenner occupy the next spots with 4 points each, with Jenner potting 3 goals, Hutson and Dubois each recording a goal and 3 assists, Kyrou adding 2 goals and 2 assists, and Ilya Protas contributing 4 assists. Jakob Chychrun and Alex Ovechkin record 3 points each, while Aliaksei Protas and Justin Holl add 2 points apiece.

New Jersey Devils @ Washington Capitals Betting Trends: October 17, 2026

Why the Washington Capitals will win

• The Capitals have won each of their last nine home games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
• The Devils have lost each of their last eight games as underdogs against Metropolitan Division opponents.
• The Capitals have covered the puck line in eight of their last nine home games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
• The Devils have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight games as underdogs against Metropolitan Division opponents.
• The Capitals have won the third period in each of their last six games as favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.

Why the New Jersey Devils will win

• The Capitals have lost each of their last seven Saturday games as home favorites.
• The Devils have won each of their last eight Saturday day games.
• The Capitals have failed to cover the puck line in 15 of their last 17 games as home favorites against opponents on a winning streak.
• The Devils have covered the puck line in seven of their last eight games as road underdogs against the Capitals.
• The Capitals have lost the third period in each of their last six games when trailing after the second period.

Total Goals Facts

• Eight of the Capitals’ last nine home games following a home win have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Each of the last five games between teams from the same division have gone OVER the total goals line.
• Six of the Devils’ last seven games as underdogs following a home win have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Capitals’ last 12 day games at Capital One Arena.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Devils’ last seven games as underdogs against Metropolitan Division opponents.

Washington Capitals Player Prop Facts

• Justin Holl has scored a goal in four of his last five appearances against Eastern Conference opponents.
• Pierre-Luc Dubois has recorded at least one assist in seven of his last eight appearances with his team as a home favorite against the Devils.
• Alex Tuch ranks 1st in the league for Game Winning Goals (3) this season.

New Jersey Devils Player Prop Facts

• Nico Hischier has scored at least one goal in five of the Devils’ last six day games.
• Jack Hughes has recorded at least one assist in each of the Devils’ last six day games.
• Jack Hughes has recorded at least two shots in each of his last 28 appearances – longest active streak in the league.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Washington Capitals rank T1st in the league in short handed goals allowed this season (0).
• The Washington Capitals rank T2nd in the league for Period 1 goals scored per game this season (1.43).
• The New Jersey Devils rank 26th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (71.43%).
• The New Jersey Devils rank 1st in the league for shots per game this season (35.6).

New Jersey Devils vs. Washington Capitals Prediction

I’m on the Capitals here. New Jersey’s been playing well but to be honest I still don’t buy what the Devils are selling from a goaltending perspective and I’m not sure that changes here either. The Capitals are the better team in my opinion, and the Capitals have the better goaltending depth and are also at home here which can be a big help in these games with early puck drops. I’ll back Washington in this one.