Our Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. The Montreal Canadiens (2-2-1 before Tuesday’s game; 48-24-10 in 2025-26) visit the Washington Capitals (3-2-0 before Tuesday’s game; 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: ESPN+ / MNMT; Prime Video (Canada).
Storyline: Montreal hosts Buffalo on Tuesday night, Oct. 13, so Wednesday’s game is the second night of a back-to-back for the Canadiens. Washington plays at Carolina on Tuesday night, Oct. 13, so Wednesday’s game is the second night of a back-to-back for the Capitals. Washington won two of three meetings last season (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Washington at -135 and Montreal at +114 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Montreal Canadiens @ Washington Capitals |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Montreal Canadiens 2-2-1 (plays Tuesday, Oct. 13) | Washington Capitals 3-2-0 (plays Tuesday, Oct. 13) |
| 2025-26 Records | Montreal Canadiens 48-24-10 | Washington Capitals 43-30-9 |
| Head Coaches | MTL: Martin St. Louis (6th season) | WSH: Spencer Carbery (4th season) |
| Puck Line | MTL +1.5 (-198) | WSH -1.5 (+164) |
| Moneyline | Montreal Canadiens: +114 | Washington Capitals: -135 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o-115 / u-105) |
| Venue | Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.) |
| Date / Time | Wednesday, October 14, 2026 — 7:30 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | ESPN+ / MNMT; Prime Video (Canada) |
| Probable Starting Goalies | MTL: Jakub Dobes (confirmed, per ESPN); Montreal hosts Buffalo Tuesday | WSH: Charlie Lindgren (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed); Washington plays at Carolina Tuesday |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, ~6:17 PM ET. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. ESPN lists Jakub Dobes (Montreal) as the confirmed starter; Charlie Lindgren (Washington) as the probable starter, not yet confirmed at research time.
Montreal Canadiens Preview: Second Night of a Back-to-Back
2025-26 recap: Montreal went 48-24-10 (106 points), finished third in the Atlantic Division and reached the Eastern Conference Final, beating Tampa Bay and Buffalo in seven games each before losing to Carolina (NHL.com). Captain Nick Suzuki had 101 points (29 goals, 72 assists), Cole Caufield scored 51 goals, Lane Hutson had 78 points from the blue line, Juraj Slafkovsky had 30 goals and Demidov had 62 points.
Offseason moves: Montreal added forward Chris Kreider, who had 22 goals and 50 points for Anaheim last season. Brendan Gallagher now plays for Vancouver (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky, Kreider, Kirby Dach, Josh Anderson, Alex Newhook, Zachary Bolduc, Alexandre Texier and Phillip Danault lead the forwards. Hutson, Noah Dobson, Alexandre Carrier and Arber Xhekaj are on defense. Martin St. Louis is in his sixth season as coach.
Goalies: Entering Tuesday’s game, Jakub Dobes had started three games and was 1-1-1 with an .856 save percentage (77 saves on 90 shots). Most recently, he made 27 saves on 32 shots in a 6-4 loss to Carolina (Oct. 6). Jacob Fowler has started two games and is 1-1-0 with a .938 save percentage (45 saves on 48 shots). Most recently, he stopped all 30 shots in a 1-0 shootout win over Detroit (Oct. 10). ESPN lists Jakub Dobes as the confirmed starter for Wednesday.
Season so far: Before Tuesday’s game, Montreal was 2-2-1 through five games, with 15 goals scored and 19 allowed. Results: a 3-2 win at Toronto (Sept. 29), a 6-5 overtime loss at Pittsburgh (Oct. 3), a 6-4 loss to Carolina (Oct. 6), a 5-2 loss to Nashville (Oct. 8) and a 1-0 shootout win over Detroit (Oct. 10). Nick Suzuki has seven points (three goals, four assists), and Chris Kreider has four points (one goal, three assists) (NHL.com).
Second night of a back-to-back: Montreal hosts the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, Oct. 13 (6:30 p.m. ET), so Wednesday’s game is the second half of a back-to-back.
Injuries: Florian Xhekaj (undisclosed) and Mike Matheson (lower body) are listed as out; Sam Montembeault (lower body), Oliver Kapanen (lower body) and Ivan Demidov (lower body) are on injured reserve; Bryce Pickford (undisclosed) and Lucas Condotta (undisclosed) are on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Washington Capitals Preview: Second Night of a Back-to-Back
2025-26 recap: Washington went 43-30-9 (95 points), finished fourth in the Metropolitan Division and missed the playoffs. 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.
Goalies: Entering Tuesday’s game, Logan Thompson had started four games and was 3-1-0 with a .902 save percentage (101 saves on 112 shots). Most recently, he made 22 saves on 27 shots in a 5-3 loss to Seattle (Oct. 11). Charlie Lindgren has started one game and is 0-1-0 with a .931 save percentage (27 saves on 29 shots). That start was a 3-1 loss at Tampa Bay (Oct. 3). ESPN lists Charlie Lindgren as the probable starter for Wednesday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Before Tuesday’s game, Washington was 3-2-0 through five games, with 17 goals scored and 14 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) and a 5-3 loss to Seattle (Oct. 11). Tom Wilson has five points (two goals, three assists), and Ryan Leonard has four points (two goals, two assists) (NHL.com).
Second night of a back-to-back: Washington visits the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, Oct. 13 (6:45 p.m. ET), so Wednesday’s game is the second half of a back-to-back.
Injuries: Pierre-Luc Dubois (illness) is listed as out; Rasmus Sandin (knee surgery) and Matt Roy (lower body) are on injured reserve; Patrick Thomas (upper body) is on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Canadiens vs Capitals
- Schedule spot: Montreal hosts Buffalo on Tuesday, so Wednesday is the second night of a back-to-back for the Canadiens. Washington plays at Carolina on Tuesday, so Wednesday is the second night of a back-to-back for the Capitals.
- Last season: Washington won two of three meetings last season. Montreal won 6-2 at home on Feb. 28, 2026. Washington won 8-4 in Montreal on Nov. 20, 2025 and 3-2 in overtime at home on Jan. 13 (NHL.com).
- Special teams: Montreal is converting 5.9 percent of its power plays and has killed 76.2 percent of penalties. Washington is converting 15.4 percent of its power plays and has killed 88.2 percent of penalties (NHL.com).
- Scoring: Montreal has scored 15 goals and allowed 19 in 5 games before Tuesday. Washington has scored 17 goals and allowed 14 in 5 games before Tuesday.
- Odds snapshot: Washington -135 / Montreal +114 on the moneyline, Capitals -1.5 (+164) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals
Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Puck drop: 7:30 PM ET (7:30 PM local)
Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
TV: In the U.S., Monumental Sports Network (MNMT) carries it in the Capitals’ market (NHL.com). In Canada, Prime Video carries it (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 14, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.