Washington Capitals vs Ottawa Senators Prediction & Picks - NHL

Prediction published on 1/1/26, 9:25 AM  by Edgar Jibran | Modified on 1/1/26 at 9:53 PM in NHL Picks

Next Thursday night will bring a very particular NHL schedule to kick off 2026, as 2023 was the last time that more than one game was played on January 01st. With the schedule in mind, it’s notorious that playing the first game of the year will be a wonderful chance for the Ottawa Senators to look forward to defeating the Washington Capitals at home, a result that would take them away from the last spot in the Eastern Conference’s standings.

However, it cannot be ignored that the Senators currently have a three-game losing streak, it being concerning that they have conceded eleven goals during the last two of them. Despite those disappointing results, the Senators are just four points behind the playoff mark in the Eastern Conference, so Shane Pinto, Brady Tkachuk, and Tim Stutzle are expected to increase their offensive impact in the second half of the regular season.

Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals were able to maintain their three-point advantage over the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference’s standings with their 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers. Taking this into account, it’s worth noting that defeating the Senators would allow them to climb back to the top spots of the competition, it being positive for them to have offensively active players like Tom Wilson, Alexander Ovechkin, Jakob Chychrun, and Alexei Protas.