November puts the brrr in the NHL season as teams try to establish themselves early. Thankfully, the NHL gives us yet another busy Thursday night with nine games. Our spotlight will be on the contest between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. That one gets underway at approximately 7:30 pm ET. Capitals vs Penguins bets allow us more chances to make some wagers.
Yes, the slate offers several exciting contests. Now, keep in mind again there will be four games on Friday. Friday includes a game between the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings as the Rangers try to rebound from yet another tough home loss. Detroit may be starting to come to Earth after their hot early start. Do note that Thursday night features another Hulu doubleheader (this game followed by Florida and Los Angeles).
The 2025-2026 NHL season provided some unexpected results even last night. Chicago beat up on Vancouver while San Jose jumped on San Jose and never let up. Vegas Betting has updated Vegas Stanley Cup odds for 2025-26. First, let us start with the moneyline for this tilt in the land of pickles. As Fall continues to roar, let’s do that hockey!.
Capitals vs Penguins bets is literally too close to call. Do not laugh here. There are several reasons for this. For one, the expectation is that Pittsburgh might be a bigger favorite given that Washington just plated on Wednesday night. It was a resounding win for the Capitals as they trounced the St. Louis Blues 6-1 at home. Teams on the back end of a back-to-back are not quite as motivated the next night normally.
Washington has found this year to be tougher sledding at 7-5-1. Pundits believe the emotion of Alexander Ovechkin finally scoring his 900th goal will have some carryover on Thursday night. Ovechkin has struggled in the early going with only three goals on the season. That third one was historic. Does that take the pressure off and start the Russian on a goal scoring spree?
The big concern for the Pittsburgh Penguins here may be injuries derailing what has been one of the surprises of the early NHL campaign. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have produced like they were in their prime all over again. Add in some timely goaltending and the Penguins are tied for first in a crowded Metropolitan Division.
The Penguins average 3.5 goals a game but are allowing less than three for the first time in forever. Meanwhile, it is the Capitals who are struggling to score. Their defense has been excellent to start (tops in the league) but the offense is in the lower quarter. After two straight losses, expect Pittsburgh to want to get a W here.
The Capitals and Penguins look at Ovechkin and Crosby. Both players relish this rivalry. Throw the early records out the window here. Yes, Pittsburgh is 8-4-2 early and Washington again is 7-5-1. No one cares when these two take the ice. Charlie Lindgren and Arturs Silovs are projected to be the goaltenders for this matchup. One key may be all the injuries but is it really?
On paper, this game is as even as it looks. Pittsburgh is missing five regulars out of the lineup including goaltender Tristan Jarry and winger Rickard Rakell. Washington will not have Pierre-Luc Dubois for several months after a leg injury. With Dylan Strome passing to Ovechkin and Bryan Rust on Crosby’s wing, NHL bettors are in for a treat on this night.
Capitals vs Penguins bets ponder several props and wagers. Among the player props, how do the goals pander out? The Oveckin and Crosby anytime goal props have to be considered. Ovechkin and Crosby are both at +155 to light the lamp. Taking a parlay on that would be risky but one by themselves is reasonable enough. Crosby is on quite a hot streak with nine goals in his first 14 games.
Yes, the goalie shutout is not happening here. Both teams want to score goals and the defenses tend to relax when these teams get together. Do not be surprised if Pittsburgh scores on the power play. Crosby and Malkin are vintage gold on the man advantage to start the season. At -110, that may be a far safer wager than normal here.
So, Washington and Pittsburgh still is must watch TV or streaming. A fun play is trying to hedge on the Penguins to turn up the goal scoring heat with Washington keeping up. Pittsburgh winning at home with seven or more total goals now stands at +285.
The defense for Washington has been mostly stout but Pittsburgh expects to draw the Capitals out of their shell for this one. Charlie Lindgren struggling in the early going is not as surprising. His 3.40 GAA could lend a hand to Pittsburgh who looked a little ordinary in their last two games. The over 3.5 goals for Pittsburgh is now +150 via BetOnline. Let’s roll with it!
NHL online Vegas odds are here. Yes, the Vegas betting site bonuses help immensely. Good luck tonight!
