Washington Capitals vs Detroit Red Wings Prediction 1/29/2026 Today’s NHL Picks

The Washington Capitals and the Detroit Red Wings meet Thursday in NHL action from the Little Caesars Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Washington Capitals vs. Detroit Red Wings prediction.

Washington Capitals Recap

The Washington Capitals come into this game looking to bounce back from their 5-1 loss at the hands of Seattle last time out to sit at 25-22-7 this season. After this game, Washington will head home for a game against Carolina.

Capitals Lose 7 Of Last 9

Tom Wilson leads Washington with 46 points including a team-high 22 goals and 24 assists while Dylan Strome has 42 points with 14 goals and 28 assists. John Carlson also has 43 points with 9 goals and 34 assists. Aliaksei Protas has 34 points with 18 goals and 16 assists while Jakob Chychrun has 38 points with 18 goals and 20 assists and Alex Ovechkin has 45 points with 22 goals and 23 assists. In goal for Washington, Logan Thompson has gone 18-16-4 with a 2.46 GAA and a .912 save percentage while Charlie Lindgren is 7-6-3 with a 3.41 GAA and an .885 save percentage so far this season.

Detroit Red Wings Recap

The Detroit Red Wings come into this game looking to bounce back from a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings last time out to sit at 32-17-5 this season. After this game, Detroit will take on the Colorado Avalanche at home.

Red Wings Alternate Wins & Losses In 4 Straight

Lucas Raymond leads the Red Wings in scoring with 58 points coming on 18 goals and a team-high 40 assists while Alex DeBrincat has 54 points with 28 goals and 26 assists. Dylan Larkin has 47 points with 25 goals and 22 assists and Moritz Seider has 36 points with 7 goals and 29 assists. Patrick Kane has 31 points with 8 goals and 23 assists and Andrew Copp also has 8 goals and 24 assists for his 32 points. Cam Talbot has gone 11-7-4 with a 3.00 GAA and an .893 save percentage while John Gibson is 21-10-1 with a 2.61 GAA and a .906 save percentage so far this season in goal for Detroit.

Washington Capitals @ Detroit Red Wings Betting Trends: January 29, 2026

Why the Detroit Red Wings will win

• The Red Wings have won each of their last seven night games following a loss.
• The Capitals have lost six of their last seven games.
• The Red Wings have covered the puck line in six of their last seven games against the Capitals following a loss.
• The Capitals have failed to cover the puck line in four of their last five night games against Eastern Conference opponents.
• The Capitals have lost the third period in each of their last five games as underdogs.

Why the Washington Capitals will win

• The underdogs have won three of the Red Wings’ last four games.
• The Red Wings have lost three of their last four games as home favorites against opponents on a losing streak.
• The Red Wings have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last 13 games as home favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
• The road team has covered the puck line in each of the Red Wings’ last five games.
• The Red Wings have lost the first period in each of their last five games as favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.

Total Goals Facts

• Each of the Red Wings’ last four games against the Capitals following a loss have gone OVER the total goals line.
• Each of the Capitals’ last four games as underdogs following a road loss have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Red Wings’ last eight games as favorites against opponents on a losing streak.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Capitals’ last seven games against Eastern Conference opponents.

Detroit Red Wings Player Prop Facts

• Patrick Kane has recorded at least one assist in five of his last six home appearances against the Capitals.
• Alex DeBrincat has scored a goal in each of the Red Wings’ last four home games.
• Dylan Larkin ranks T2nd in the league for Game Winning Goals (7) this season.

Washington Capitals Player Prop Facts

• Alex Ovechkin has scored at least one goal in four of the Capitals’ last five night games at Little Caesars Arena.
• Dylan Strome has recorded at least one assist in each of the Capitals’ last four games against the Red Wings.
• Jakob Chychrun ranks T1st in the Metropolitan Division for Plus/Minus (+20) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Detroit Red Wings rank 6th in the league in power play percentage this season (24.12%).
• The Detroit Red Wings have recorded the equal-most wins when trailing after Period 1 this season (7).
• The Washington Capitals rank 26th in the league in power play percentage this season (16.88%).
• The Washington Capitals held the NHL’s worst record in games that have gone to shootout this season (0-5).

Washington Capitals vs. Detroit Red Wings Prediction

I’m on the Red Wings here. I get the case to be made for Washington with Detroit playing some inconsistent hockey right now, but the thing is that the Capitals have been consistently as of late is poor as they can’t put any sort of wins together and I think this is going to be a Red Wings win here. Give me Detroit.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Detroit -125