The Chicago Blackhawks venture to the nation’s capital to take on Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Saturday night.

The Chicago Blackhawks have the Dallas Stars’ number this season, defeating one of the league’s top teams twice in less than a week. With the 4-3 win on Thursday, the Blackhawks will aim to remain unbeaten in 2026 as they venture to the nation’s capital and take on the Washington Capitals.

Chicago Blackhawks at Washington Capitals Preview

The last time these two teams battled in the nation’s capital, future Hall-of-Famer Alex Ovechkin tied Wayne Gretzky’s career goal total. He has since continued that pace, becoming the first player to score over 900 goals in a NHL career.

This time around, this is just another game on the calendar. The Hawks are struggling without young centers Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar. For the Caps, they’re hanging on to a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Capitals are built on a balance of scoring. Eight players have over 20 points already, with Tom Wilson leading the way with 42 points. Ovechkin is continuing to produce, with 15 goals and 34 points, and a plethora of youth and veterans, such as Dylan Strome, Ryan Leonard, and Aliaksei Protas, are holding their own. This is a deep team that the Hawks have in store, with the aforementioned Wilson and goaltender Logan Thompson representing Team Canada at the upcoming Winter Olympics.

For Chicago, Oliver Moore, Nick Lardis, and Artyom Levshunov have been really good over the last few games. They will once again be looked at to continue their strong play in the new year.

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How to Watch Chicago Blackhawks at Washington Capitals

Date: Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026

Time: 6:00 p.m. CT

TV Channel: CHSN*, MNMT

Live Stream: CHSN App (in market only), ESPN+, FuboTV (Free Trial Available)

Several streaming and TV options are available for fans looking to watch the Blackhawks at the Washington Capitals game live. The game will air on Chicago Sports Network (CHSN)* and MNMT in their respective markets.

*CHSN is currently available via a direct-to-consumer streaming service and cable services Xfinity (Comcast Ultimate Tier, channel 200 and 201), DIRECTV (channel 665), DIRECTV Stream (channel 665), U-Verse (channel 1741), Astound (channels 685 and 576), and FuboTV.