Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/13/2026

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Venue:  Capital One Arena, Washington, DC

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Canadiens +154, Capitals -185; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Canadiens +155, Capitals -185; Over/Under:  6 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Canadiens +150, Capitals -185; Over/Under:  6 goals

Montreal Canadiens:  25-14-6 (3rd place, Atlantic Division)

Washington Capitals:  23-17-6 (4th place, Metropolitan Division)

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Montreal Canadiens:  6-2-2 last 10

Washington Capitals:  4-5-1 last 10

The Canadiens are entering this game with 56 points, a 25-14-6 record overall, and they are 13-4-5 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Detroit Red Wings in their last game, losing that one at home 4-0, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the Vancouver Canucks still to be played on Monday night. In their game against the Red Wings, no one scored a goal or recorded an assist for them in that one as they were shut out. Cole Caufield led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Jacob Fowler was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 23 shots with 20 saves and a .870 save percentage. Their offense has scored 151 goals this season averaging 3.4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 149 goals against them allowing 3.3 goals per game.

The Capitals are entering this game with 52 points, a 23-17-6 record overall, and they are 13-8-3 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Nashville Predators in their last game, losing that one on the road 3-2. Alexander Ovechkin and Ethen Frank each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Alexander Ovechkin, Dylan Strome, John Carlson, and Ryan Leonard each led the team in assists with 1 while Ethen Frank led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Charlie Lindgren was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 21 shots with 18 saves and a .857 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 150 goals this season averaging 3.3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 133 goals against them allowing 2.9 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Canadiens listed as an underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Canadiens have looked really good in their games this season with their 25-14-6 record overall which has them right near the top of their division in the East. They have been a good road team too with their 13-4-5 road record this season. Meanwhile, the Capitals have looked good in their games this season with their 23-17-6 record overall which has them in the top half of their division in the East. They have looked good on home ice too with their 13-8-3 home record this year. The Capitals haven't looked great lately though, coming off a loss to the Predators in their last one, and they are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games too. They have had some trouble scoring goals in their games lately and that is going to be an issue here since the Canadiens do have a good offense. The Canadiens are also coming off a loss themselves, getting shut out by the Red Wings 4-0 in their last one, but they are still 6-2-2 in their last 10 games and will have an answer to that bad game. They aren't in the best situation since they are on a back-to-back here, but their game on Monday is against the Canucks who are the worst team in the NHL. If the Canadiens manage to bounce back in that one, they will be coming into this game against the Capitals with some momentum on their side and they can take advantage with the way the Capitals have been in a bit of a slump lately. The best way to place a bet here is on the Canadiens to win this game or on the puckline. 

Canadiens Capitals Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Tuesday, January 13, 2026 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Canadiens 3 Capitals 2.

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Montreal Canadiens: 44-77 (-20.9 units) on the moneyline revenging a loss versus opponent as a favorite. 16-36 (-15.1 units) on the moneyline revenging a blowout loss vs opponent of 3 goals or more. 85-112 (-4.1 units) on the moneyline against mistake free teams - opponents average 4 power plays/game or less. 10-1 OVER in a road game where the total is 5.5.

Washington Capitals: 119-105 (+9.5 units) on the moneyline in all games. 53-33 (+5.7 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -200 or less. 74-54 (+8.9 units) on the moneyline against terrible defensive teams - allowing 3+ goals/game. 10-6 OVER when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%).

Montreal Canadiens:  J. Anderson (RW) Day To Day - Upper Body. P. Laine (RW) Out - Abdomen. J. Evans (C) Out - Lower Body. K. Dach (C) Out - Foot. A. Newhook (C) Out - Ankle.

Washington Capitals:  T. Wilson (RW) Day To Day - Lower Body. P. Dubois (LW) Out - Abdomen.

"Some nights you get the bounces, some nights you don't. And credit to them, they worked hard, they played a good game and any lapse they had, their goalie made a big save." - Jacob Fowler after their loss against the Red Wings in their game on Saturday.

“We just have to create more dangerous looks. Our expected goals for controlling 5-on-5 play is, like, 2.1. We’ve got to get that up to four. If you’re going to control play, like we just have to make a few more plays, threaten a little bit more, get a little bit more dangerous on the inside.” - Spencer Carbery after his team’s loss against the Predators in their game on Sunday.

LW Cole Caufield

C Nick Suzuki

RW Alexandre Texier

LD Mike Matheson

RD Noah Dobson

G Jakub Dobes

LW Aliaksei Protas

C Dylan Strome

RW Alex Ovechkin

LD Rasmus Sandin

RD John Carlson

G Charlie Lindgren

Points: Nick Suzuki (48)

Goals: Cole Caufield (21)

Assists: Lane Hutson (36)

GAA: Jacob Fowler (2.46)

Points: Tom Wilson (42)

Goals: Tom Wilson (22)

Assists: John Carlson (26)

GAA: Logan Thompson (2.35)

Coaches:

Montreal Canadiens: Martin St. Louis (5th season)

Washington Capitals: Spencer Carbery (3rd season)