Our Pittsburgh Penguins vs Washington Capitals preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. The Pittsburgh Penguins (2-1-0 this season; 41-25-16 in 2025-26) visit the Washington Capitals (1-1-0 this season; 43-30-9 in 2025-26) at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Puck drop is 7:30 PM ET (7:30 PM local). TV: TNT / HBO Max.
Storyline: Pittsburgh visits Capital One Arena for Washington’s home opener after a 3-2 loss to Winnipeg on Monday, snapping a two-game winning streak that included a 7-0 shutout at Philadelphia and a 6-5 overtime win against Montreal. Washington is 1-1-0 after a 5-2 win at Carolina and a 3-1 loss at Tampa Bay, and Alex Tuch has two goals in two games. The teams split three meetings last season (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Washington at -162 and Pittsburgh at +136 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Washington Capitals Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Pittsburgh Penguins @ Washington Capitals |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1-0 | Washington Capitals 1-1-0 |
| 2025-26 Records | Pittsburgh Penguins 41-25-16 | Washington Capitals 43-30-9 |
| Head Coaches | PIT: Dan Muse (2nd season) | WSH: Spencer Carbery (4th season) |
| Puck Line | PIT +1.5 (-185) | WSH -1.5 (+154) |
| Moneyline | Pittsburgh Penguins: +136 | Washington Capitals: -162 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o-112 / u-108) |
| Venue | Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.) |
| Date / Time | Wednesday, October 7, 2026 — 7:30 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | TNT / HBO Max |
| Probable Starting Goalies | PIT: TBD (Arturs Silovs / Sergei Murashov) | WSH: TBD (Logan Thompson / Charlie Lindgren) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN), cross-checked on Action Network, as of Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, ~10:21 PM ET. Other books listed the same total at research time. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. Starting goalies had not been confirmed at research time.
Pittsburgh Penguins Preview: Last Season, Offseason & Goalies
2025-26 recap: Pittsburgh went 41-25-16 (98 points), finished second in the Metropolitan Division and made the playoffs for the first time since 2022 before losing to Philadelphia in six games in the first round. The Penguins scored 3.54 goals per game, third in the NHL (NHL.com). Captain Sidney Crosby led the team with 74 points (29 goals, 45 assists) in 68 games, and Dan Muse was a Jack Adams Award finalist in his first season.
Offseason moves: Evgeni Malkin signed a one-year contract on May 26 to return for a 21st season. Pittsburgh signed forward Andrei Kuzmenko and defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, acquired forward Nick Robertson from Toronto and acquired defenseman Kaedan Korczak from Vegas for Parker Wotherspoon. Anthony Mantha (33 goals) signed with New Jersey, and Stuart Skinner signed with Winnipeg (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Crosby, Malkin, Rickard Rakell, Egor Chinakhov, Tommy Novak, Ben Kindel, Robertson, Kuzmenko and Hendrix Lapierre lead the forwards. Erik Karlsson (66 points last season), Kris Letang, Samuel Girard, van Riemsdyk, Declan Carlile and Korczak are on defense. Muse is in his second season as coach.
Goalies: Arturs Silovs went 19-12-8 with a 3.07 GAA and .888 save percentage in 39 games last season. He started the first two games, making 19 saves in a shutout at Philadelphia and 20 saves on 25 shots against Montreal. Sergei Murashov started Monday against Winnipeg and made 32 saves on 35 shots. Pittsburgh had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season so far: Robertson scored twice in a 7-0 win at Philadelphia on Sept. 30, with Ville Koivunen, Malkin, Lapierre, Filip Hallander and Chinakhov also scoring. Against Montreal on Oct. 3, Pittsburgh led 5-1 before Montreal scored four times in the third period, and Novak won it at 1:33 of overtime. On Monday, Kindel and Carlile scored, but Cole Perfetti’s goal stood up in Winnipeg’s 3-2 win (NHL.com).
Injuries: Bryan Rust (upper body) is on injured reserve after a full practice Tuesday, per the Penguins’ site. Justin Brazeau (lower body) and Ryan Graves (knee) are also on injured reserve (ESPN).
Washington Capitals Preview: Home Opener After a Split on the Road
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. The Capitals dropped from second in the NHL in goals per game in 2024-25 (3.49) to 15th (3.18) (NHL.com). 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.
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 6-foot-7 defenseman Vincent Desharnais. Trevor van Riemsdyk and Hendrix Lapierre went to Pittsburgh and Brandon Duhaime to Toronto, and John Carlson was traded to Anaheim in March before signing with Tampa Bay (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Ovechkin, the NHL record holder with 929 career goals, returned for his 22nd season. Wilson, Dylan Strome, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Aliaksei Protas and Ryan Leonard (20 goals last season) join Tuch, Kyrou and Jenner up front. Chychrun, Matt Roy, Martin Fehervary and rookie Cole Hutson lead the defense. Spencer Carbery is in his fourth season as coach.
Goalies: Logan Thompson went 31-21-6 with a 2.44 GAA, .912 save percentage and four shutouts in 58 games last season. He made 31 saves on 33 shots in the 5-2 win at Carolina. Charlie Lindgren went 9-8-3 with a 3.52 GAA and .879 save percentage in 21 games last season and made 27 saves on 29 shots in the loss at Tampa Bay. Washington had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season so far: Tuch scored twice, and Hutson, Chychrun and Leonard also scored in the 5-2 win at Carolina on Oct. 2. On Friday at Tampa Bay, Justin Sourdif scored Washington’s only goal in a 3-1 loss (NHL.com).
Injuries: Matt Roy (lower body) is day to day. Defenseman Rasmus Sandin is on injured reserve after April surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee, and forward Patrick Thomas (upper body) is also on IR (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Penguins vs Capitals
- Schedule spot: Pittsburgh last played Monday. It is Washington’s home opener after two road games. Pittsburgh visits Columbus on Thursday.
- Last season: The teams split three meetings. Pittsburgh won 5-3 at home on Nov. 6, 2025, Washington won 6-3 at Pittsburgh on April 11 and 3-0 at home on April 12 (NHL.com).
- Special teams: Pittsburgh has a perfect penalty kill in three games and is converting 40 percent of its power plays. Washington has killed 88.9 percent of penalties.
- Scoring: Pittsburgh has 15 goals in three games. Washington has six goals in two games, and Tuch has two of them.
- In goal: Silovs has an .886 save percentage in two starts. Thompson stopped 31 of 33 shots in his only start, and Lindgren stopped 27 of 29.
- Odds snapshot: Washington -162 / Pittsburgh +136 on the moneyline, Capitals -1.5 (+154) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Pittsburgh Penguins vs Washington Capitals
Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Puck drop: 7:30 PM ET (7:30 PM local)
Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
TV: TNT and HBO Max carry the game nationally in the U.S. (NHL.com). ESPN lists TNT. No additional U.S. regional or Canadian national feed is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 7, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.