The Los Angeles Kings and Washington Capitals will meet in an inter-conference matchup in the NHL on Monday night. The Kings are red-hot coming into this game, while Washington has fallen on hard times in recent games. Before these teams do battle in D.C., continue reading to get my Kings vs Capitals prediction for this matchup.
Our Kings vs Capitals Pick
- Pick: Los Angeles Kings Moneyline
- Confidence: ★★★☆☆
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Los Angeles Kings vs Washington Capitals
- Date & Time: Monday, November 17, 2025, 7:00 PM ET
- Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
- Broadcast: ESPN+
Key Storylines
Recent Form
The Kings are surging. They’ve picked up four straight road wins going into tonight’s game. Their recent string of victories includes road wins over quality opponents like the Penguins and Maple Leafs. The Capitals, on the other hand, have struggled to find consistency. They’ve dropped four of their last five games and they have been struggling to generate enough offense to win against opponents at the highest level of late.
Goaltending
The Capitals are likely to turn to Logan Thompson, who has a 7‑5‑1 record, a 1.85 goals‑against average, and a .925 save percentage so far this season. That’s solid work and he will be expected to continue performing here at home. We should see Darcy Kuemper in net for the Kings in this game. Kuemper is 7-3-3 this season and has a 2.44 GAA.
Key Skaters
Tom Wilson has been a consistent presence for the Capitals, leading the team in goals (9) and adding 8 assists. Dylan Strome is their primary playmaker, with 11 assists heading into this game. And Alex Ovechkin is not lighting the league on fire this season, but remains a threat whenever he’s on the ice. Kevin Fiala leads the Kings with 9 goals, while Adrian Kempe brings strong two-way play with 6 goals and 13 assists.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop |
|---|---|
| Kevin Fiala (Kings) | Over 0.5 Goals |
| Adrian Kempe (Kings) | Over 0.5 Points |
| Tom Wilson (Caps) | Over 0.5 Points |
Betting Trends & H2H
- This is the first of two games that the Kings and Capitals will play against each other during the regular season.
- The Kings are 9-10 on the puckline going into this contest.
- Los Angeles has stayed under the total in 10 of their 19 games.
- The Capitals are 10-8 on the puckline for the season.
- Washington has also stayed under its totals 10 times in 18 games.
Kings vs Capitals Model Projection
Score Projection: Capitals 2 – Kings 3
Win Probability: Capitals 45%, Kings 55%
Final Thoughts
Washington is a strong defensive hockey team. But they have struggled to convert on scoring chances consistently enough to win games as often as they should be. I’m going to take the Kings on the road as a slight underdog, as they should be able to prolong the struggles of the Capitals’ attack.

