NHL Prop Bets: Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals (October 3, 2026)
The Washington Capitals (1-0-0) face the Tampa Bay Lightning (0-1-0) at Benchmark International Arena. Let's take a look at the NHL Prop Bets for Saturday's matchup.
- The Capitals have a 46-37 Puck Line record since the beginning of last season, while the Lightning hold a record of 38-52 across the same span.
The total goals line is set at 6.5, with OVER at +110 and UNDER at -130.
- The Capitals have a 37-42-4 O/U record since the beginning of last season (meaning 37 games have gone over the total points line, 42 have gone under and four have resulted in a push). The Lightning have a 42-42-6 O/U record.
Goals For Insights
- The Capitals have scored 3.20 goals per game since the beginning of last season (15th in the league). Comparatively, the Lightning have averaged +0.3 more at 3.46 goals over the same span (5th).
- Defensively, the Capitals have allowed 2.89 goals per game since the beginning of last season (T7th in the league), while the Lightning have given up an average of 2.82 goals over that span (3rd).
Shots
- Looking at creating chances to score, Washington is averaging 28.0 shots per game since the beginning of last season (17th in the NHL). Meanwhile, Tampa Bay is allowing its opposition 26.7 shots per game (9th).
- Flipping that script, the Capitals have allowed 28.2 shots per game (19th in the NHL), while the Lightning are averaging 28.1 shots (15th).
Power Play
- Washington holds a power play percentage of 18.1%, ranking 26th in the league since the beginning of last season, while Tampa Bay sits 18th with 20.2% of its power play opportunities converted.
Penalty Kill %
- On the opposite end, the Capitals have a penalty kill rate of 80.2% (ranked 16th), compared to the Lightning at 82.3% (3rd).
P1 Result
Washington is +215 to win the first period, while Tampa Bay is +150.
- Here are their first period records since the beginning of last season.
| Total | Home | Road | Last 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 29-25-29 | 15-14-12 | 14-11-17 | |
| Tampa Bay | 30-33-27 | 13-18-14 | 17-15-13 |
To Go To Overtime
Saturday's matchup is +280 to go to overtime.
- The Capitals have played in 15 games that have gone to overtime since the beginning of last season, while the Lightning have appeared in 20.
To Go To a Shootout
- The Capitals have played in 8 games that have gone to a shootout since the beginning of last season, while the Lightning have appeared in 6.
Last Time They Met
Tampa Bay recorded a 3-5 victory over Washington at Capital One Arena when these teams last met on November 22, 2025. Brandon Hagel led the way to that result, recording 2 goals and 2 assists.
