Devils vs. Capitals prediction: Why Washington is favored to win Saturday's NHL matchup [10/17/2026]

The Washington Capitals will take on the New Jersey Devils, in what is expected to be a close NHL game, at Capital One Arena on Saturday, beginning at 1:00 PM ET.

Dimers' advanced NHL model gives the Capitals a slight edge with a 54.2% win probability over the Devils.

This article offers a complete Devils vs. Capitals prediction, including projected goal scorers, best bets and player prop picks.

Devils vs. Caps prediction and odds

Using trusted machine learning and statistical analysis, we have re-simulated the outcome of Saturday's NHL game between the Devils and Capitals, forming part of our NHL predictions coverage.

Our famous predictive model currently gives the Capitals a 54.2% chance of defeating the Devils. According to our model, the Devils (+1.5) have a 67.8% chance of covering the puck line, while the over/under total of 6.5 goals has a 56.1% chance of staying under.

Latest betting odds

We have researched the best NHL odds in America for this game, which are listed here:

• Puck Line: Devils +1.5 (-250) / Capitals -1.5 (+245)
• Moneyline: Devils +108, Capitals -111
• Total: Over/Under 6.5 (+117/-122)

All odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Model picks and best bet

After matching our predictions against the best available odds, we can reveal our picks for each of the major markets in this matchup. Plus, find our best bet for the game below:

• Puck line: Capitals -1.5 @ 29¢ via Novig
• Moneyline: Capitals @ 53¢ via Novig
• Total: Under 6.5 @ 55¢ via Novig

According to our NHL best bets, the top play to make on this game is Capitals -1.5 at the spread.

These picks are based on our probabilities matched against the implied probabilities from the current available odds.

Devils vs. Capitals player props

Who will score a goal in Devils vs. Capitals?

According to our model, Alex Tuch is most likely to score an anytime goal in Devils vs. Capitals.

Our projections give Tuch a 32.2% chance of scoring a goal at Capital One Arena, while the star is a 6.4% chance of netting the first goal the game.

Anytime goal scorer predictions

New Jersey Devils

• Jack Hughes: 32.1% probability
• Nico Hischier: 28.2% probability
• Anthony Mantha: 27.9% probability
• Timo Meier: 24.4% probability
• Jesper Bratt: 22.3% probability

Washington Capitals

• Alex Tuch: 32.2% probability
• Tom Wilson: 30.3% probability
• Jakob Chychrun: 25.3% probability
• Alex Ovechkin: 23.8% probability
• Aliaksei Protas: 22.9% probability

First goal scorer predictions

New Jersey Devils

• Jack Hughes: 6.4% probability
• Nico Hischier: 5.7% probability
• Anthony Mantha: 5.0% probability
• Timo Meier: 4.9% probability
• Jesper Bratt: 4.2% probability

Washington Capitals

• Tom Wilson: 6.6% probability
• Alex Tuch: 6.4% probability
• Jakob Chychrun: 4.8% probability
• Aliaksei Protas: 4.3% probability
• Alex Ovechkin: 4.3% probability

Game info & puck drop details

Saturday's game between the Capitals and Devils at Capital One Arena is scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM ET.

• Who: New Jersey Devils vs. Washington Capitals
• Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
• Time: 1:00 PM ET/10:00AM PT
• Venue: Capital One Arena

Conclusion

We predict the Capitals, with a 54.2% win probability, will likely beat the Devils in Saturday's NHL matchup.

Additional tools and information for betting safely can be found in our Responsible Gambling hub.

This article's predictions and probabilities are generated by Dimers' proprietary NHL prediction model. Our editorial team reviews the resulting content for accuracy and presentation before publication.