Los Angeles Kings vs Washington Capitals Prediction, 10/20/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Los Angeles Kings vs Washington Capitals

Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Location: Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

TV: ABTV, Monumental Sports Network

Odds/Point Spread: Kings (+136) Capitals (-162)

Capital One Arena is where the Washington Capitals (5-3-0) will take on the Los Angeles Kings (0-4-2) on Tuesday. The odds on this game have the Kings at +136 while the Capitals open at -162. The over/under is 5.5.

The Los Angeles Kings will need a bounce back game after taking a 4-1 defeat to the Bruins in their previous contest . The Kings didn't have a great showing offensively in the defeat. In the game, they netted 1 of the 26 shots they tried. In addition, they had 2 attempts on the power play but didn't get a goal. Los Angeles tallied 21 penalty mins for this game.

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While playing at even strength, the Kings have conceded 17 goals while earning 9 on offense. Los Angeles Kings opponents have earned 21 power play tries (29th in hockey) and have notched 8 goals in those attempts. When it comes to their scoring capabilities, the Los Angeles Kings have notched 12 goals (32nd in the league) on the year and have allowed 25. Los Angeles has attempted 179 shots and has a shooting percentage of 6.7%. For the season, they have 2 points and their points percentage is .167. The Kings thus far have had 161 shots tried against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .845. Los Angeles skates onto the rink with 21 power play chances and they have notched 3 goals during those advantages, garnering them a percentage of 14.29%.

The man protecting the goal in this game is Darcy Kuemper. In his professional hockey career, Kuemper has accrued 263 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .557. His save percentage currently is .912 in his 27,819 mins on the ice. Kuemper has seen 13,698 shot attempts against him and he has 12,496 total saves. Opponents have been able to score 1,204 goals versus Kuemper in his pro career and his goals against rate is 2.55. He has an overall record of 228-163-69 and he has started in 472 games. Kuemper has been in goal for 493 games over the course of his professional hockey career.

In their last game, Washington faced off against the Devils in a game where the Capitals took home the win by a tally of 4-2. They had 2 chances on the power play in this matchup and recorded 1 out of those attempts. The Capitals had 4 goals of the 25 shots on goal they were seeking.

The Capitals have scored 24 goals at even strength and 4 goals (21st in hockey) while on the power play. Washington has put up 209 shots (22nd in the NHL) and has earned a shooting percentage of 13.40%, while allowing the opposition 237 shots. So far this year, the Washington Capitals have tallied 28 goals, 10 points, as well as a points percentage of .625. They have granted a total of 24 goals to be scored by of a combination of 19 goals at even strength and 5 goals while they had less men on the ice. They have recorded 21 chances on the power play and they have a power play percentage of 19.05%. They have recorded a penalty kill percentage of 82.14% on the other teams 28 power play tries, and their save percentage currently comes in at 89.9%.

For the opposition you are likely to see Logan Thompson defending the goal. The opposition is averaging 2.61 goals per contest and he has surrendered 525 goals overall. Thompson's rate of quality starts is 62.7% and he has qualified for 126 quality starting assignments in his professional career. He has started in 201 contests and has played 11,918 mins. Thompson has earned a lifetime mark of 122-61-23 and has participated in 210 games. He has a tally of 5,412 stops out of the 5,937 shots attempted, which gives him a save percentage of .912.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh's Pick: Take Los Angeles (+136)

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