Los Angeles Kings vs Washington Capitals Final — October 20, 2026
LAStarting goaliesWSH
LAOffenseFull 2025-26 regular season (last season)WSHLADefenseWSHLATeamWSHLA5-on-5WSHLASpecial teamsWSHLARecent formWSHLAHome and roadseason to dateWSHInjuries & restkey injuries · rest and travel
LARest & travelWSHLAKey injuriesWSHAbout these numbers
Goalie status from the G&W goalie tracker (Confirmed, Expected, Likely or Not confirmed); teams confirm starters close to puck drop. Season lines come from the NHL Lab goalie tables. GSAx = goals saved above expected (Gridiron & Wine expected goals). HD Sv% = save rate on high-danger shots.
Full 2025-26 regular season (last season), captured before kickoff. League rank in small type (32 teams); the gold side ranks higher. Bars show rank, longest = 1st. Source: Gridiron & Wine public Analytics tables.
2025-26 regular season, public NHL Lab tables; ranks out of 32 teams. Expected goals are Gridiron & Wine's own expected-goals numbers.
2025-26 regular season. Rates are per 60 minutes of power-play or penalty-kill time.
Regular-season results this season, oldest to newest (OTL = overtime or shootout loss). Records are season to date, with home and road splits. Over–under uses the consensus closing total.
Distance is straight-line from each team's home arena; time-zone change is at game time. Rest counts days since each team's previous game.
Key players only. Injury report as of October 20, 6:40 p.m. ET.
The pre-game matchup
The Kings (0-4-2) visited the Capitals (5-3-0) on Tuesday, October 20 at 7:10 PM ET.
Last season (2025-26), the Kings scored 2.74 goals per game (29th of 32) and allowed 3.01 (12th). The Capitals scored 3.21 goals per game (15th of 32) and allowed 2.98 (10th). The Kings earned 54.9% of available standings points (20th) and the Capitals 57.9% (12th).
Expected-goals share (5-on-5), the share of 5-on-5 expected goals created: Kings 52.2% (7th), Capitals 50.0% (17th). Shot-attempt share (5-on-5), the share of all 5-on-5 shot attempts: Kings 52.2% (8th), Capitals 49.4% (15th). High-danger chance share, the share of 5-on-5 high-danger chances: Kings 52.7% (12th), Capitals 46.9% (22nd). These are last season's full-season numbers because the new season's sample is still small; rosters change over the offseason.
The total closed 5.5, unchanged from the open. After removing the vig, the closing moneyline (Kings +130, Capitals -160) prices the Kings at 41% and the Capitals at 59%.
Written from the numbers available before kickoff.
Result
Final score and result vs the closing line
Los Angeles Kings 5, Washington Capitals 2
Los Angeles Kings won by 3.
- Against the closing spread (Washington Capitals -1.5): Los Angeles Kings covered.
- Combined score 7 vs the closing total of 5.5: Over.
- Los Angeles Kings closed at +130 on the moneyline (a 41% no-vig market-implied chance).
Actual result
Washington Capitals 2
Before the game: market and G&W
From open to close the market moved 1 point toward Los Angeles Kings.
Market numbers are the consensus moneyline with the bookmaker margin removed.
Win probability
Each team's chance of winning through the game, starting from the market's closing price (Los Angeles Kings 41%, Washington Capitals 59%) and moving with every goal, penalty and the clock until the final.
Biggest swings
- 1st 9:25 — Washington Capitals goal (0-1)Washington Capitals 58% → 73% (+15 pts)
- 1st 19:58 — Los Angeles Kings goal (2-2)Los Angeles Kings 26% → 43% (+17 pts)
- 3rd 7:28 — Los Angeles Kings goal (3-2)Los Angeles Kings 47% → 79% (+32 pts)
Los Angeles Kings won after falling as low as 13% (1st 18:35).
Chance Quality Result
Based on the quality of chances each team created, Washington Capitals won 71% of G&W replays (Los Angeles Kings 29%). The result went the other way from the chances each team created.
The Chance Quality Result describes the chances each team created. It is not the official result and never changes it or any record. Expected goals count regulation chances with both goalies in net; empty-net goals are not included. Season xG tables count every game state, empty nets included, so their totals differ.
Game DNA
The Chance Quality Result above favoured Washington Capitals. Here is where that came from.
| Kings | Goals | Capitals |
|---|---|---|
| 1.8 | 5-on-5 chancesexpected goals | 2.7 |
| 0.2 | Power-play chancesexpected goals | 0.8 |
| 0.2 | Other situations4-on-4, 3-on-3, short-handed | 0.4 |
| 2.2 | Chance Quality Result chancesthe three rows above, as in the result | 3.9 |
| 0.0 | Overtime and pulled-goalie chancesnot part of the Chance Quality Result | 0.2 |
| 0.1 | Second chancesrebounds and flurries, part of the above | 0.3 |
| +1.8 | Finishinggoals vs expected on own shots | -2.1 |
| +2.1 | Goaltendingsaves vs expected · Darcy Kuemper 30/32 · Logan Thompson 21/25 | -1.8 |
| 1 | Empty-net goals | 0 |
How the margin was built, from Los Angeles Kings's side:
The first three rows add up to the Chance Quality Result's expected goals. Overtime chances and chances with a goalie pulled are listed on their own, and empty-net goals are not in expected goals. A team's finishing and the other team's goaltending are the same goals seen from each end.
Line review
Washington Capitals closed as the market favourite at 59% and lost.
Market
Closing line and line movement
Kings +1.5 (-180)
Kings +1.5 (-200)
Capitals -163 59%
Capitals -160 59%
Consensus of US sportsbooks. Open = first line after both teams' previous games; Close = consensus at kickoff. Percentages are the moneyline's no-vig market-implied chances.
Members
G&W Line
G&W’s own number for this game, next to the market. Analytics
Matchup
Head-to-head
The teams have met 14 times since 2018-19: the Kings won 3 and the Capitals 11.
| Date | Score | Line | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2, 2025 | Capitals 3, Kings 1 Capitals won | Kings -120 underdog won | 5.5 under |
| Nov 17, 2025 | Kings 1, Capitals 2 Capitals won | Capitals -115 favorite won | 5.5 under |
| Mar 13, 2025 | Capitals 0, Kings 3 Kings won | Kings -134 favorite won | 5.5 under |
| Dec 22, 2024 | Kings 1, Capitals 3 Capitals won | Capitals -162 favorite won | 5.5 under |
| Jan 7, 2024 | Kings 3, Capitals 4 Capitals won | Kings -197 underdog won | 5.5 over |
Regular-season meetings since 2018-19, most recent first. Line = consensus closing moneyline favorite and total where line history is available.
Teams
Los Angeles Kings
- Los Angeles Kings team stats
- Los Angeles Kings 1, Chicago Blackhawks 2 (Oct 27)
- Los Angeles Kings 6, New York Rangers 3 (Oct 26)
- Los Angeles Kings 1, New Jersey Devils 3 (Oct 24)
Washington Capitals
More NHL games on October 20, 2026
- Toronto Maple Leafs 6, Columbus Blue Jackets 2 (Oct 20)
- San Jose Sharks 4, Montréal Canadiens 3 (Oct 20)
- Colorado Avalanche 3, New Jersey Devils 4 (Oct 20)
- Anaheim Ducks 2, New York Islanders 3 (Oct 20)
- Boston Bruins 2, Dallas Stars 3 (Oct 20)
- Winnipeg Jets 1, St Louis Blues 2 (Oct 20)
- Minnesota Wild 3, Edmonton Oilers 4 (Oct 20)
- Detroit Red Wings 3, Seattle Kraken 4 (Oct 20)
- Carolina Hurricanes 6, Vancouver Canucks 3 (Oct 20)
- Tampa Bay Lightning 6, Vegas Golden Knights 2 (Oct 20)
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