Canadiens vs. Capitals NHL Odds, Prediction and Picks: Hutson Brothers Face Off for First Time
It’s the second of a back-to-back for both the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals on Wednesday night as they meet in D.C. The Caps are -135 favourites on the NHL odds with a total of 6.5 goals and we will see brother vs. brother face off for the first time.
Canadiens vs. Capitals NHL Betting Odds
This writer is a bit surprised the NHL didn’t go completely dark on Wednesday following the 32-game Frozen Frenzy on Tuesday, but Montreal at Washington is one of two games. Both had to travel after playing Tuesday so at least that’s somewhat fair.
Really any team that plays the Caps this season it will be a bit more special simply because legendary Washington forward Alex Ovechkin, the league’s all-time goalscorer, has announced it will be his final campaign. Actually, Ovi’s 930 goals are a regular-season records. His 1,007 total goals including playoffs trail Wayne Gretzky by nine, and Ovechkin surely wants that record too. In 63 career regular-season games against Canadiens, Ovi has 44 goals and 32 assists.
Wednesday marks the first of three meetings this season with the Capitals taking two of three in 2025-26 and their only home game. Ovechkin (5G, 1A) and Ethan Frank (4G, 2A) led Washington with six points each in the series. Logan Thompson won his one start in net and Charlie Lindgren split his two. Nick Suzuki (2G, 2A) led Montreal with four points. Jakub Dobes splits his two starts and Sam Montembeault lost his.
Washington is 7-3 in the past 10 overall and the over under is 4-6.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens won a back-and-forth home affair against visiting Buffalo on Tuesday, 4-3 in a shootout. The Habs trailed 1-0 early but led 3-1 entering the third before Jacob Fowler allowed two quick goals. Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield each had a goal and an assist, while Zachary Bolduc scored the clinching goal in a shootout for the second straight game. The Canadiens played without injured winger Florian Xhekaj and blueliner Mike Matheson, and neither should be expected tonight. Because Fowler started that in net, it should be Jakub Dobes tonight. Bit of a rough start for the 25-year-old at 1-1-1 with a 4.44 GAA and .857 SV. Last season, the Canadiens were 9-5-2 in the second of a back-to-back, tying for the league lead for most such wins.
Washington Capitals
Washington dropped a second straight game by multiple goals on Tuesday, 4-2 at defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina. The Capitals blew leads of 1-0 and 2-1. Boone Jenner (third of season) and Justin Holl (first) had their two goals. It was the third straight game Jenner scored. Only two Capitals players have had a longer goal streak in their first season with the club over the past 20 years: Dylan Strome with four in 2022-23 and Anthony Mantha with four in 2020-21. Because Logan Thompson was in net Tuesday it will be Charlie Lindgren tonight. He lost his lone start, allowing two goals on 29 shots at Tampa Bay back on Oct. 3. Tonight also will mark the first NHL meeting between brothers and defencemen Cole Hutson of Washington and Lane Hutson of Montreal.
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