New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals Prediction, 10/9/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals

Date: Friday, October 9, 2026

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

TV: MSG Network, Monumental Sports Network

Odds/Point Spread: Rangers (+120) Capitals (-135)

The Washington Capitals (2-1-0) will try to beat the New York Rangers (4-1-0) at Capital One Arena on Friday. The odds on this game have New York at +120 while Washington is at -135. The over/under has been set at 6.

The New York Rangers went home feeling good about their game by earning a 5-2 win against the Islanders in their last outing. New York had 20 penalty minutes in this contest. Furthermore, they had 3 chances with the advantage and were able to net 1 goal. The Rangers had a impressive offensive outing in this win. In the game, they tallied a score on 5 out of the 24 shots they tried.

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When talking about their scoring capabilities, the New York Rangers have notched 16 goals (6th in the NHL) on the year and have allowed 8. For the season, they have earned 8 points and their points percentage is sitting at .800. New York skates onto the rink with 14 power play opportunities and they have scored 3 goals during those advantages, giving them a rate of 21.43%. When playing at even strength, the Rangers let the opposition score 6 goals while earning 13 as an offensive unit. New York has attempted 116 shots and is the owner of a shot percentage of 13.8%. The Rangers have had 118 shots taken against them and have a save percentage of .932. New York Rangers opponents have totaled 16 power play opportunities (3rd in hockey) and have scored 2 goals in those attempts.

Protecting the goal for this matchup will be Igor Shesterkin. Over the course of his pro career, Shesterkin has accumulated 205 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .633. His save percentage currently is .917 in his 18,966 mins between the pipes. Shesterkin has had 9,629 shot attempts against him and has gathered 8,827 saves. The opposition has scored 803 goals versus Shesterkin in his pro hockey career and his average for goals against per game is 2.48. He has compiled an overall record of 190-108-28 and he has started in 324 games. Shesterkin has been involved in 329 games throughout his hockey career.

In their last contest, Washington squared up with the Penguins in a matchup where the Capitals notched a victory by a score of 5-3. They had 4 power play attempts in this game and recorded 1 out of those tries. The Capitals scored 5 goals out of the 27 shots on goal they were seeking.

Over the course of the season, the Washington Capitals have 11 goals, 4 points, in addition to a points percentage of .667. They have allowed 8 goals to be scored by way of 7 goals at even strength and 1 goal while they had less men on the ice. The Capitals have scored 9 goals at even strength and 2 goals (17th in hockey) while having a power play advantage. They have a total of 8 power play opportunities and they have accumulated a power play rate of 25.00%. Washington has taken 75 shots (27th in hockey) and has earned a shooting percentage of 14.67%, while allowing their opponents 93 shots. They have recorded a penalty kill percentage of 91.67% on the other teams 12 power play opportunities, and their save percentage is 91.4%.

For the opposition you will find Logan Thompson protecting the net. Thompson is sitting with a lifetime mark of 120-59-23 and has participated in 206 games. Thompson's percentage of quality starts comes out to 62.4% and he has earned 123 quality starting assignments in his hockey career. He has racked up 5,309 stops out of 5,823 shots taken against him, giving him a save percentage of .912. Teams are averaging 2.61 goals/game and he has surrendered 514 goals overall. He was named a starter in 197 contests and his ice time sits at 11,908 mins.

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

Tony's Pick: Take New York (+120)

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