The Los Angeles Kings (0-4-2 this season) visit the Washington Capitals (5-3-0 this season) at Capital One Arena on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, and this preview lays out the Kings vs Capitals odds, puck line, total, goalies, injuries and recent trends. Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local) in Washington, D.C., with TV on ABTV / MNMT.
Storyline: Los Angeles enters Tuesday at 0-4-2 after a 4-1 loss to Boston (Oct. 17). Washington enters Tuesday at 5-3-0 after a 4-2 win over New Jersey (Oct. 17). Special teams stand out on paper: Washington’s power play ranks 19th in the NHL at 19 percent, while Los Angeles’ penalty kill ranks 31st at 61.9 percent (NHL.com). Washington won both meetings last season: 2-1 at home on Nov. 17, 2025 and 3-1 in Los Angeles on Dec. 2, 2025 (NHL.com).
Kings vs Capitals Odds & Line Movement
| Matchup | Los Angeles Kings @ Washington Capitals |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Los Angeles Kings 0-4-2 | Washington Capitals 5-3-0 |
| 2025-26 Records | Los Angeles Kings 35-27-20 | Washington Capitals 43-30-9 |
| Head Coaches | LAK: Peter Laviolette (1st season) | WSH: Spencer Carbery (4th season) |
| Puck Line | LAK +1.5 (-175) | WSH -1.5 (+145) |
| Moneyline | Los Angeles Kings: +136 | Washington Capitals: -162 |
| Total | O/U 5.5 (o-120 / u+100) |
| Opening Line (DraftKings) | LAK +136 / WSH -162 | total 5.5 |
| Venue | Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.) |
| Date / Time | Tuesday, October 20, 2026 — 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local) |
| TV / How to Watch | ABTV / MNMT |
| Probable Starting Goalies | LAK: Darcy Kuemper (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) | WSH: Logan Thompson (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) |
Kings vs Capitals odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, ~1:35 PM ET. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. ESPN lists Darcy Kuemper (Los Angeles) and Logan Thompson (Washington) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time.
In the Kings vs Capitals odds market, DraftKings opened Washington at -162 and Los Angeles at +136 on the moneyline, and both prices were unchanged as of Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, ~1:35 PM ET. The total has held at 5.5 (over -120, under +100) since it opened. On the puck line, Washington -1.5 opened at +160 and is +145. Opening numbers are DraftKings’ first posted lines, as shown by ESPN.
Goalie Matchup: Kuemper vs Thompson
The goalie matchup is one of the biggest inputs in the Kings vs Capitals odds. ESPN lists Darcy Kuemper (Los Angeles) and Logan Thompson (Washington) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time. Here is how each team’s goalies have performed so far in 2026-27 (NHL.com).
Washington Capitals Goalies
Logan Thompson has started six games and is 4-2-0 with a .910 save percentage (161 saves on 177 shots). Most recently, he made 29 saves on 31 shots in a 4-2 win over New Jersey (Oct. 17). Charlie Lindgren has started two games and is 1-1-0 with an .897 save percentage (52 saves on 58 shots). Most recently, he made 25 saves on 29 shots in a 5-4 win over Montreal (Oct. 14). ESPN lists Logan Thompson as the probable starter for Tuesday (not confirmed at research time).
Los Angeles Kings Goalies
Darcy Kuemper has started four games and is 0-3-1 with an .847 save percentage (83 saves on 98 shots). Most recently, he made 4 saves on 7 shots in a 4-1 loss to Edmonton (Oct. 13). Anton Forsberg has started two games and is 0-1-1 with an .883 save percentage (53 saves on 60 shots, including relief). Most recently, he made 24 saves on 26 shots in a 4-1 loss to Boston (Oct. 17). ESPN lists Darcy Kuemper as the probable starter for Tuesday (not confirmed at research time).
Washington Capitals Preview: Tuch Leads a 5-3-0 Start
2025-26 recap: Washington went 43-30-9 (95 points), finished fourth in the Metropolitan Division and missed the playoffs a year after finishing first in the Eastern Conference. Alex Ovechkin led the team with 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists), Tom Wilson had 30 goals and 62 points, and Jakob Chychrun scored 26 goals from the blue line (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: The Capitals acquired Alex Tuch (33 goals, 66 points) from Buffalo after he signed an eight-year, $84 million contract, and Jordan Kyrou (46 points) from St. Louis for forward Connor McMichael, prospect Milton Gastrin and the No. 16 selection in the 2026 draft. They signed former Columbus captain Boone Jenner (four years, $23 million) and defenseman Vincent Desharnais (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Ovechkin, the NHL record holder with 929 career goals, is in his 22nd season. Wilson, Dylan Strome, Aliaksei Protas and Ryan Leonard join Tuch, Kyrou and Jenner up front. Chychrun, Martin Fehervary and rookie Cole Hutson lead the defense. Spencer Carbery is in his fourth season as coach.
Season so far: Washington is 5-3-0 through eight games, with 28 goals scored and 24 allowed. Results: a 5-2 win at Carolina (Oct. 2), a 3-1 loss at Tampa Bay (Oct. 3), a 5-3 win over Pittsburgh (Oct. 7), a 3-1 win over the Rangers (Oct. 9), a 5-3 loss to Seattle (Oct. 11), a 4-2 loss at Carolina (Oct. 13), a 5-4 win over Montreal (Oct. 14) and a 4-2 win over New Jersey (Oct. 17). Alex Tuch has seven points (five goals, two assists), and Ryan Leonard has seven points (three goals, four assists) (NHL.com).
Catch up on Washington’s previous game with our Devils vs Capitals preview from Oct. 17.
Washington Capitals Injury Report
Injury news can move the Kings vs Capitals odds before puck drop. Justin Sourdif (illness) is listed as out; Matt Roy (lower body), Pierre-Luc Dubois (illness) and Rasmus Sandin (knee surgery) are on injured reserve; Patrick Thomas (upper body) is on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Los Angeles Kings Preview: Still Looking for a First Win
2025-26 recap: Los Angeles went 35-27-20 (90 points), finished fourth in the Pacific Division and was swept by Colorado in the first round. Adrian Kempe led the team with 73 points (36 goals, 37 assists), Quinton Byfield had 49 points, Alex Laferriere had 44, and Artemi Panarin had 27 points in 26 games after arriving from the Rangers during the season (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: Laviolette replaced D.J. Smith, who finished last season as coach after Jim Hiller began it. Los Angeles added forward Mats Zuccarello (54 points for Minnesota), forward Erik Haula (38 points for Nashville) and defenseman Erik Gustafsson. Longtime center Anze Kopitar (38 points in 67 games) is no longer on the roster, and Andrei Kuzmenko now plays for Pittsburgh (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Kempe, Panarin, Byfield, Laferriere, Haula, Trevor Moore, Corey Perry and Scott Laughton lead the forwards. Drew Doughty, Brandt Clarke, Mikey Anderson, Brian Dumoulin, Cody Ceci and Joel Edmundson are on defense.
Season so far: Los Angeles is 0-4-2 through six games, with 12 goals scored and 25 allowed. Results: an 8-4 loss at Colorado (Sept. 30), a 5-4 overtime loss at San Jose (Oct. 3), a 2-1 loss to Florida (Oct. 6), a 2-1 overtime loss at Vegas (Oct. 10), a 4-1 loss to Edmonton (Oct. 13) and a 4-1 loss to Boston (Oct. 17). Brandt Clarke has five points (one goal, four assists), and Artemi Panarin has four points (three goals, one assist) (NHL.com).
For more background on Los Angeles, our Bruins vs Kings preview from Oct. 17 breaks down the Kings’ previous matchup.
Los Angeles Kings Injury Report
Any late change on this list can also shift the Kings vs Capitals odds. Alex Turcotte (undisclosed), Mats Zuccarello (undisclosed) and Kevin Fiala (lower leg surgery) are on injured reserve; Jakub Dvorak (upper body) and Jan Jenik (undisclosed) are on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Kings vs Capitals Head-to-Head
2025-26 series: Washington won both meetings last season: 2-1 at home on Nov. 17, 2025 and 3-1 in Los Angeles on Dec. 2, 2025 (NHL.com). The two games produced 7 total goals, an average of 3.5 per game.
2026-27 schedule: Tuesday’s game is meeting one of two between the teams this season (NHL.com). Past meetings are history only; the current Kings vs Capitals odds are in the table above.
Kings vs Capitals Odds: Key Betting Trends
Here is the season data behind the Kings vs Capitals odds. The figures below are straight season data through games before Tuesday, from NHL.com, with over/under counts measured against DraftKings closing totals via ESPN.
- Kings home/road: Los Angeles is 0-3-0 at home and 0-1-2 on the road (NHL.com).
- Kings recent form: Los Angeles is 0-3-2 in its last five games, with 8 goals scored and 17 allowed in that stretch (NHL.com).
- Kings totals: Los Angeles’ games have gone over the DraftKings closing total two times and under four times in six games with a posted total, averaging 6.2 combined goals per game (DraftKings via ESPN; NHL.com).
- Kings special teams: Los Angeles’ power play is converting 14.3 percent (26th in the NHL), and its penalty kill is at 61.9 percent (31st) (NHL.com).
- Kings scoring: Los Angeles has scored 12 goals and allowed 25 in 6 games (2 goals per game) (NHL.com).
- Capitals home/road: Washington is 4-1-0 at home and 1-2-0 on the road (NHL.com).
- Capitals recent form: Washington is 3-2-0 in its last five games, with 17 goals scored and 16 allowed in that stretch (NHL.com).
- Capitals totals: Washington’s games have gone over the DraftKings closing total four times and under four times in eight games with a posted total, averaging 6.5 combined goals per game (DraftKings via ESPN; NHL.com).
- Capitals special teams: Washington’s power play is converting 19 percent (19th in the NHL), and its penalty kill is at 82.1 percent (13th) (NHL.com).
- Capitals scoring: Washington has scored 28 goals and allowed 24 in 8 games (3.5 goals per game) (NHL.com).
- Combined totals: Across both teams, games have gone over the DraftKings closing total six times and under eight times in 14 games with a posted total, against a 5.5 total for this game (DraftKings via ESPN).
TV Channel and How to Watch Kings vs Capitals
Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Puck drop: 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local)
Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
TV: In the U.S., Monumental Sports Network (MNMT) carries it in the Capitals’ market and ABTV carries it in the Kings’ market (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Schedule spot: Los Angeles last played on Oct. 17 (2 days off before Tuesday) and visits the Islanders on Oct. 22. Washington last played on Oct. 17 (2 days off before Tuesday) and hosts Buffalo on Oct. 24. Neither team played on Monday, Oct. 19, so neither is on the second night of a back-to-back (NHL.com).
Live stats, lineups and the box score will be on the Kings vs Capitals gamecenter on NHL.com, and the official Washington Capitals site posts team news and lineup notes.
For a refresher on how the moneyline, puck line and total are priced, see our NHL odds guide; the free content hub has the rest of our free daily coverage.
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Frequently Asked Questions: Kings vs Capitals
What time is Kings vs Capitals on October 20, 2026?
Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local) on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The Kings vs Capitals odds in this preview were last updated on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026.
Who are the probable starting goalies for Kings vs Capitals?
ESPN lists Darcy Kuemper (Los Angeles) and Logan Thompson (Washington) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time.
What are the Kings vs Capitals odds and puck line?
For the Kings vs Capitals odds, DraftKings lists Los Angeles +1.5 (-175) and Washington -1.5 (+145) on the puck line as of Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, ~1:35 PM ET. The moneyline is Los Angeles Kings +136 and Washington Capitals -162, and the total is 5.5.
What channel is Kings vs Capitals on?
In the U.S., Monumental Sports Network (MNMT) carries it in the Capitals’ market and ABTV carries it in the Kings’ market (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.