The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals meet Wednesday in NHL action from the Capital One Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals prediction.
Pittsburgh Penguins Recap
The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this game looking to bounce back from a 3-2 loss at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets last time out to sit at 2-1 this season. After this game, the Penguins will head on the road for a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Penguins Suffer First L Of Season
Evgeni Malkin, Declan Carlile, Erik Karlsson, and Tommy Novak share the team lead for the Pittsburgh Penguins through three games this season with 4 points each, with Karlsson leading the way with 4 assists while Malkin, Carlile, and Novak have each recorded 2 goals and 2 assists. Ben Kindel, Hendrix Lapierre, Filip Hallander, Kaedan Korczak, Samuel Girard, and Kris Letang sit right behind them with 3 points apiece, while Nick Robertson, Egor Chinakhov, Rickard Rakell, Ville Koivunen, and Sidney Crosby have each added 2 points to round out Pittsburgh’s top scorers. In net, Arturs Silovs has posted a perfect 2-0 record with a 2.47 GAA and an .886 save percentage after stopping 39 of 44 shots, while Sergei Murashov has logged an 0-1 record with a 3.14 GAA and a .912 save percentage after stopping 31 of 34 shots for the Penguins up to this point in the season.
Washington Capitals Recap
The Washington Capitals come into this game looking to bounce back from their 3-1 loss at the hands of Tampa Bay last time out to sit at 1-1 this season. After this game, the Capitals will head home for a game against the New York Rangers.
Capitals Looking To Rebound From First Loss
Jakob Chychrun leads the Washington Capitals through two games this season with a team-high 3 points and 2 assists. Alex Tuch, Dylan Strome, and Pierre-Luc Dubois sit right behind him with 2 points each, with Tuch pacing the team with 2 goals. Boone Jenner, Ilya Protas, Cole Hutson, Ryan Leonard, Justin Sourdif, Aliaksei Protas, Tom Wilson, and Alex Ovechkin have each posted 1 point to round out Washington’s scoring. In net, Logan Thompson has recorded a 1-0 record with a 2.00 GAA and a .939 save percentage after stopping 31 of 33 shots, while Charlie Lindgren has logged an 0-1 record with a 2.08 GAA and a .931 save percentage after stopping 27 of 29 shots for the Capitals up to this point in the season.
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Washington Capitals Betting Trends: October 7, 2026
Why the Washington Capitals will win
- The Capitals have won each of their last seven home games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Penguins have lost eight of their last 10 away games when playing with a rest disadvantage.
- The Capitals have covered the puck line in seven of their last eight games following a road loss.
- The Penguins have failed to cover the puck line in four of their last five games when playing with a rest disadvantage against Capitals.
- The favorites have won the second period in each of the last eight games between the Penguins and Capitals.
Why the Pittsburgh Penguins will win
- The Penguins have won each of their last six night games against the Capitals following a loss.
- The Capitals have lost three of their last four home openers as favorites.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the Penguins’ last six games.
- The Capitals have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last four home openers.
- The Capitals have lost the third period in each of their last six games against Eastern Conference opponents when trailing after the second period.
Total Goals Facts
- Each of the last seven games between the Penguins and Capitals at Capital One Arena have gone UNDER the total goals line.
- Each of the Penguins’ last six night games at Capital One Arena have gone UNDER the total goals line.
- Three of the last four games between teams from the same division have gone OVER the total goals line.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Capitals’ last 10 games as favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in 14 of the Penguins’ last 15 games as underdogs.
Washington Capitals Player Prop Facts
- Ryan Leonard has scored a goal in five of the Capitals’ last six night games at Capital One Arena.
- Pierre-Luc Dubois has recorded at least one assist in seven of his last eight appearances against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- Alex Tuch ranks T1st in the league for multi-goal game (1) this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins Player Prop Facts
- Bryan Rust has scored at least one goal in three of his last four appearances against the Capitals.
- Sidney Crosby has recorded at least one assist in five of the Penguins’ last six games against Eastern Conference opponents.
- Nicholas Robertson ranks T1st in the league for multi-goal game (1) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Washington Capitals rank T8th in the league for goals against per game this season (2.50).
- The Washington Capitals rank T1st in the league for power play goals against this season (1).
- The Pittsburgh Penguins rank T1st in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (100.00%).
- The Pittsburgh Penguins rank 3rd in the league for goals per game this season (5.00).
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals Prediction
I’m on the Penguins in this one. I just think that this is a decent spot and a decent price for Pittsburgh considering the Capitals have been in it nip and tuck with the Penguins over the years and this to me feels closer to a coin flip style of game so I’m rocking with Pittsburgh and the plus money here.