Faceoff is scheduled for 3:00 PM ET
Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
TV/Streaming: TNT, truTV, Max (HBO Max), MNMT (local), SN360, TVAS
2025-26 NHL Regular Season – Metropolitan Division Rivalry Rematch (Back-to-Back)
Team Records & Standings Context
The Penguins enter as the No. 2 team in the Metropolitan Division and locked into home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs (5th in the Eastern Conference overall). Their 98 points (41-23-16) reflect a solid but banged-up campaign, with a strong 21-10-8 road record.
The Capitals sit 5th in the Metro (roughly 9th-10th in the East) with 91 points (41-30-9) and a 24-11-5 home mark. They remain alive in the Eastern wild-card hunt and desperately need points in this final stretch to secure a postseason berth. A regulation loss combined with certain other results could eliminate them.
Recent Team Form
Penguins (last 5-6 games): 3-2-0 in recent action but coming off a 6-3 home loss to these same Capitals on April 11. Wins over New Jersey (5-2 on April 9) and Florida (5-2 on April 5) showed offensive punch, though the injury-ravaged lineup has limited depth. Pittsburgh has gone 6-4-0 in its last 10 overall and scores at a 3.56 goals-per-game clip while allowing 3.10.
Capitals (recent form): 5-3-2 in their last 10, including a dominant 6-3 victory in Pittsburgh on Saturday (Ilya Protas: 1G-2A; Ryan Leonard: 2G). They’ve shown resilience with wins over Toronto (4-0) and Buffalo (6-2) but suffered blowout losses (e.g., 8-1 at NYR). Washington averages 3.20 goals scored and 2.96 allowed, going 8-4 in its last 12 before the back-to-back.
Injury Report
Penguins (heavy attrition – multiple stars day-to-day):
Sidney Crosby (lower body) – DTD
Evgeni Malkin (upper body) – DTD
Bryan Rust (lower body) – DTD
Erik Karlsson (lower body) – DTD
Kris Letang (upper body) – DTD
Parker Wotherspoon (upper body) – DTD
Ben Kindel (upper body) – DTD
Connor Dewar (lower body) – OUT (target April 18)
Multiple recalls (Koivunen, McGroarty, Koppanen) have filled the lineup. Pittsburgh sat seven key players on April 11 and their status for today remains fluid, though many are expected to be unavailable given the late-season timing and clinched status.
Capitals:
Pierre-Luc Dubois (upper body) – DTD (left April 11 game early after board collision)
Rasmus Sandin (lower body) – DTD (left April 11 game)
Charlie Lindgren (upper body) – DTD
Dubois and Sandin are questionable; the Capitals will monitor them closely in a must-play game.
Projected Lineups & Key Player Matchups
Penguins (projected):
Forwards: Chinakhov–Rakell–Mantha; Söderblom–Novak–Brazeau; Koppanen–Koivunen–McGroarty; Acciari–Hayes–A. Hayes
Defense: Shea–Clifton; Girard–St. Ivany; Solovyov–Graves
Goalies: Stuart Skinner (expected starter) / Arturs Silovs
Key assets: Rakell (team-high scoring among active players), youth infusion from call-ups, and defensive structure without star forwards.
Capitals (projected, subject to injury updates):
Forwards: Ovechkin–Strome–Beauvillier; A. Protas–I. Protas–Wilson; McMichael–Dubois (if healthy)–Leonard; Duhaime–Sourdif–Miroshnichenko
Defense: Fehérváry–(Sandin if healthy); Chychrun–van Riemsdyk; Hutson–Roy
Goalies: Logan Thompson (likely back-to-back starter) / Mitchell Gibson
Key assets: Ovechkin’s veteran presence, Protas brothers’ recent chemistry (Ilya hot off 3-point night), Leonard’s scoring burst, and Thompson’s reliability.
Notable Matchups:
Penguins’ depleted top-six vs. Capitals’ opportunistic secondary scoring (Protas/Leonard).
Skinner vs. Thompson: Both have been serviceable, but Thompson has carried Washington lately.
Special teams: Penguins 24.6% PP / 81.5% PK; Capitals 17.7% PP / 79.8% PK. Pittsburgh’s power play could be key if penalties mount.
Series History
The Penguins lead the all-time series 166-132-16-7 (regular season: 126-104-16-7). In the 2025-26 season, the teams have split their two meetings so far: Penguins won 5-3 at home on Nov. 6; Capitals won 6-3 in Pittsburgh on April 11. This is the third (and likely final regular-season) matchup. The rivalry remains intense, with high-scoring affairs common lately.
Betting Trends
Penguins: Over has hit in 5 of their last 5 games; 6-4-0 last 10 overall.
Capitals: 1-4 in last 5 (prior to Saturday win); totals have gone Over in only 2 of last 5.
Home/road: Capitals strong at Capital One Arena (24-11-5); Penguins road underdogs perform well but injuries change the equation.
Back-to-back: Capitals played yesterday in Pittsburgh and host today; fatigue vs. Penguins’ rested-but-depleted roster is a factor.
Game Odds
Pittsburgh Penguins 6.5
Washington Capitals – 162
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Saturday, April 11, 2026
