New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals Picks and Prediction for Friday October 9, 2026
The New York Rangers will be on the road Friday night for a Metropolitan Division matchup in Washington, DC, against the Washington Capitals. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM inside Capital One Arena. New York comes into Friday 4-1 thus far this season. Washington will welcome the home crowd Friday night with a 2-1-0 record on the year. The Capitals will look to build on their strong start and get an early division victory against a familiar opponent. Washington is listed as a -142 favorite, while New York comes into the game at +120, with the total set at 5.5 goals. Stay in the news with our NHL Picks.
New York hunts the road win
The New York Rangers come into Friday night averaging 3.2 goals on 23.2 shots per game this season, and they have scored 9 total goals across their last 2 victories. Defensively, New York has been phenomenal, giving up 1.60 goals on 23.6 shots per game. Alexis Lafreniere is leading the New York offense this season with five points and three goals scored. Adam Fox has also added five points, along with the team leading 5 assists. Mika Zibanejad has also added five points to the Rangers offense this season along with four assists.
Alexis Lafreniere led the way for New York last time out with three points and one assist on three shots in just under 19 minutes of action. New York got a balanced scoring attack from the rest of the team, as well as six other players who contributed at least one point. Oliver Bjorkstrand added to the New York offense in their last game with two points on three shots in just another 9 minutes of action.
Key Injury Report for New York:
- Joe Veleno (IR) - Oct 13
- Joonas Korpisalo (IR) - OCT 9
- Aidan Thompson (IR-NR) - Oct 11
- Adamsukora (IR) -Jan 25
Washington tries to defend their ice
The Washington Capitals offense has carried them this season averaging 3.67 goals on 25 shots per game overall. Defensively, Washington has been just as stout, allowing 2.67 goals on 31 shots per game. Tom Wilson is leading the Washington offense this season with four points and a team high 4 assists. Pierre-Luc Dubois has also added four points this season. Alex Tuch has scored three points this year and leads the team with three goals.
Tom Wilson led the Washington offense in their last outing with one goal and two assists on two shots in under 20 minutes of game time. Pierre-Luc Dubois chipped in as well with one goal and one assist in the game. Three other Washington players scored at least one goal each, while another three players added one point apiece.
Key Injury Report for Washington:
- Matt Roy (Day-TO-Day ) - Oct 9
- Patrick Thomas (IR-NR)- Oct 24
- Rasmus Sandin (IR-NR) - Dec 26
New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals Picks and Prediction
Pick: Washington Capitals -142
Washington has a good opportunity to pick up a home victory against the New York Rangers. The Capitals have plenty of experience throughout their lineup and should be able to create opportunities against a Rangers team that will need strong goaltending to stay competitive. New York has enough talent to challenge Washington, but the Rangers must find ways to generate offense instead of relying entirely on their defense. The Capitals should benefit from playing at home and having their top offensive players available to create scoring chances. Washington has the pieces to make things difficult for New York, and the Capitals should find a way to get the job done.
Pick: Under 5.5 (-130)
Goals could be difficult to come by Friday when Washington and New York meet in an early-season divisional matchup. Both teams have the ability to play well defensively, and strong goaltending could keep this game close throughout the night. The Rangers will need to limit Washington's scoring chances, especially when the Capitals have their top offensive players on the ice. Washington should also have opportunities to slow down New York and prevent the Rangers from getting too many quality looks at the net. These teams are familiar with one another, and neither side should want to get into a game where goals are coming easily. A lower-scoring matchup looks possible, making the Under worth backing.