‹SUN OCT 11›
3 games
Early look The full preview opens on Thursday 8 October, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Seattle Kraken at Washington Capitals: game preview

Puck drop11 Oct · 5:00 PM ET
VenueCapital One Arena
All-time meetings10 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Sixteen points apart last season

Seattle finished last season 27th in the league on 79 points. Washington finished 12th on 95.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 11

Across 10 completed games, Washington lead the head-to-head 6-3-1.

All-time record6-3-1Washington's record in the series
Meetings played10This is number 11
2025-26 series—
Last 54-1Washington
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
27 Jan 2026WSH 1 – SEA 520–32WSH 1/4 · SEA 1/4SEA
21 Oct 2025SEA 1 – WSH 419–34SEA 0/2 · WSH 1/2WSH
9 Mar 2025SEA 2 – WSH 432–24SEA 0/4 · WSH 0/1WSH
23 Jan 2025WSH 3 – SEA 032–22WSH 0/0 · SEA 0/1WSH
14 Mar 2024WSH 2 – SEA 123–24WSH 1/4 · SEA 1/3WSH
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateSeattleWashington
21 Oct 20253-2-2 · 8 pts13th5-2-0 · 10 pts8th
27 Jan 202623-19-9 · 55 pts23rd25-21-7 · 57 pts19th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 21 Oct 2025, Seattle were 13th in the league and Washington 8th. By 27 Jan 2026 it was 23rd and 19th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Seattle out-attempted Washington 300 to 283

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Seattle Kraken

300 att · 129 on goal · 9 G · 7.0%
Crease18 att · 2 G
Slot97 att · 5 G
Wing125 att · 1 G
Point51 att · 1 G
Neutral zone9 att · 0 G

Washington Capitals

283 att · 134 on goal · 14 G · 10.4%
Crease23 att · 1 G
Slot96 att · 7 G
Wing105 att · 2 G
Point53 att · 2 G
Neutral zone6 att · 2 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Washington have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

SeattleWashington
2.60xG for per game2.48
3.14xG against per game4.09
45.3%xG share37.7%
+4.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals+1.0
+1.6GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+3.2

This season: 4 games for Seattle, 2 for Washington. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Seattle

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2619.5% · 20th
Power play · last 5 meetings2/14 · 14.3%
Penalty kill · 2026-2772.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2672.2% · 31st
Faceoffs · 2026-2749.6% · 121/244
Drawn · 2026-2712 (3.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings14 (2.80/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings2

Washington

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2617.8% · 25th
Power play · last 5 meetings3/11 · 27.3%
Penalty kill · 2026-2788.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2680.1% · 14th
Faceoffs · 2026-2746.4% · 51/110
Drawn · 2026-274 (2.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings11 (2.20/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings3

Skaters

Alex Ovechkin has 4 points in the last 5 meetings

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
19Jared McCann41451.25
7Jordan Eberle42241.00
89Alex Tuch22021.00
17Dylan Strome20221.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
29Vince Dunn41341.00
62Brandon Montour40220.50
41Ryker Evans40220.50
44Cole Hutson21010.50
3Matt Roy20000.00
Defencemen stats

Alex Ovechkin vs Seattle · game by game

See all: Alex Ovechkin vs Seattle · game by game →
DateVenueGAPSOGTOI
27 Jan 2026away101419:10
21 Oct 2025home011115:55
9 Mar 2025home101617:28
23 Jan 2025away101215:24
14 Mar 2024away000318:33
Last 5 meetings4 P3 G, 1 A · 16 SOG
Next best4 PJared McCann, SEA
2026-27 season1 P2 GP · 0 G
Blank vs SEA1 of 5
Full game log

Goaltending

Charlie Lindgren has been the difference

Charlie Lindgren faced 78 shots across 3 appearances against Seattle and conceded 3, a .962 save percentage against a season figure of .931. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 9 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 9 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

SEA · 2-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 8 Oct

SV% · 2026-27.9113 GP · 2.64 GAA · 2025-26 .897
vs Washington.9093 app · 77 SA · 7 GA
GSAx · 2026-27+1.03 starts · most on the roster
vs WSHVenueSAGASV%
9 Mar 2025away233.870
23 Jan 2025home312.935
14 Mar 2024home232.913

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Philipp Grubauer .906 (2 GP)

Full game log

WSH · 0-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 8 Oct

SV% · 2026-27.9311 GP · 2.08 GAA · 2025-26 .879
vs Seattle.9623 app · 78 SA · 3 GA
GSAx · 2026-27+1.41 start · most on the roster
vs SEAVenueSAGASV%
9 Mar 2025home322.938
23 Jan 2025away2201.000
14 Mar 2024away241.958

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Logan Thompson .939 (1 GP)

Full game log

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.1 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

27 Jan 20266 · WSH 1–5 SEA
21 Oct 20255 · SEA 1–4 WSH
9 Mar 20256 · SEA 2–4 WSH
23 Jan 20253 · WSH 3–0 SEA
14 Mar 20243 · WSH 2–1 SEA

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Seattle3.752.752.763.21
Washington3.002.503.212.98

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.1Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings4.6Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

6 on the injury lists

Seattle · injuries

Jacob MelansonUpper BodyIRReturn17 Oct
Jake O'BrienLower BodyIRReturn24 Oct
Ryan LindgrenUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn9 Oct

Washington · injuries

Matt RoyLower BodyDay-to-dayReturn7 Oct
Patrick ThomasUpper BodyIRReturn24 Oct
Rasmus SandinKneeIRReturn26 Dec
3 Oct · SEA

Activated RW/C Mackie Samoskevich from injured reserve. Placed RW Jacob Melanson on injured reserve.

27 Sep · SEA

Placed C Jake O'Brien and RW Mackie Samoskevich on injured reserve.

21 Sep · SEA

Placed F Jon-Randall Avon, F John Hayden, F Logan Morrison and G Victor Ostman on waivers.

27 Sep · WSH

Placed G Clay Stevenson, D Louie Belpedio, C Mike Brodzinski and RW Spencer Smallman on waivers. Released G Cal Petersen and D Jonathan McDonald from their professional tryout agreements. Assigned LW Maxim Schäfer to Cape Breton (QMJHL).

27 Sep · WSH

Placed G Clay Stevenson, D Louie Belpedio, C Mike Brodzinski and RW Spencer Smallman on waivers. Released G Cal Petersen from his professional tryout agreement.

26 Sep · WSH

Placed D Justin Holl on waivers for the purpose of being loaned to Hershey (AHL).

Injury report
#7Chase ReidRound 1 · Sault Ste. MarieD
#38Casey MutrynRound 2 · Usa U-18RW
#99Viktor FedorovRound 4 · Torpedo-gorky NnC
#131Finn KearnsRound 5 · St. Andrews CollegeD
Full draft
#18Oliver SuvantoRound 1 · TapparaC
#101Tyus SparksRound 4 · SpokaneC
#144Brian McFaddenRound 5 · Thayer AcademyD
#208Logan StuartRound 7 · Usa U-18C
Full draft

Updated after every final