- Matchup: Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
- Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
- Venue: Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL
- Broadcast: Monumental Sports Network, WXPX-TV
- Odds/Point Spread: Capitals (+136), Lightning (-145)
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This upcoming Saturday, the Washington Capitals will visit the Benchmark International Arena to face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The current betting line has the Capitals at +136 while the Lightning open at -145. The over/under is set at 6.5.
In their last game, the Washington Capitals secured a narrow 2-1 victory against the Blue Jackets. During that match, the Capitals spent 2 minutes in penalties and had 3 opportunities on the power play, converting 1 goal. Despite the win, their offense showed room for improvement, managing just 2 goals on 21 shots overall.
The Capitals’ opponents have logged 252 power play chances (ranking 5th in the NHL) and netted 50 goals from those situations. Washington faced a total of 2,307 shots last season, registering a save percentage of .897. With 2,299 shots on target themselves, they maintained a shooting percentage of 11.4%. At even strength, they allowed 188 goals while scoring 218. Last season, Washington had 241 power play chances, converting 43 for a success rate of 17.84%. They finished with 95 points, yielding a points percentage of .579. In terms of scoring, the Capitals achieved 261 goals (15th in the NHL) while conceding 238.
Charlie Lindgren will be manning the net for the Capitals. Over his professional career, Lindgren has conceded 467 goals with an average of 2.92 goals against per game across 170 games. His career save percentage stands at .902 over 407 minutes of ice time. He holds a record of 82 wins, 61 losses, and 18 overtime losses, achieving 82 quality starts with a rate of .513. Lindgren has faced 4,760 shots, making 4,293 saves.
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s last outing saw them suffer a defeat to the Rangers, ending in a 5-1 scoreline. They managed just 1 goal on 25 shots and capitalized on 7 power play opportunities without any scoring success.
Throughout the last season, the Lightning recorded 235 goals at even strength and 51 on the power play (15th in the league). They had a total of 2,305 shots (14th in the NHL) with a shot percentage of 12.41%, while the opposition registered 2,188 attempts. Tampa Bay concluded the previous season with 286 goals, accumulating 106 points and a points percentage of .646. They allowed 229 goals, including 184 even-strength goals and 45 scored against them while shorthanded. With 246 power play chances, they achieved a power play success rate of 20.73% and an 82.56% penalty kill rate against 258 opportunities provided to opponents, resulting in a .895 save percentage.
Andrei Vasilevskiy is anticipated to be in goal for the Lightning. He has a career record of 370 wins, 179 losses, and 39 overtime losses, participating in 599 games. Vasilevskiy boasts a quality start rate of 59.1%, having achieved 348 quality starts in his career. He has 16,142 saves from 17,613 shots faced, yielding a save percentage of .916. Opponents average 2.50 goals per game against him, with a cumulative 1,471 goals allowed. Overall, he has made 589 starts and logged over 35,224 minutes on the ice.
Who will emerge victorious in tonight’s NHL game, whether against the spread or outright?
Prediction: Back Washington (+136)
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