Jan. 7, 2026, 1:49 p.m. ET
The Dallas Stars (25-10-8) and Washington Capitals (22-15-6) tussle Wednesday in Washington, D.C. The contest at Capital One Arena will start at 7 p.m. ET (TNT). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Stars vs. Capitals odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: Dallas leads 1-0
The Stars are playing on a second straight night after they lost 6-3 (Over 5.5) at the -146 Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday. They head into Wednesday’s tilt looking to snap a season-long 6-game losing streak (0-3-3).
The Capitals last played Monday, clocking a 7-4 (Over 5.5) triumph over the +106 Anaheim Ducks. A streaky Washington club has won just 3 times since Dec. 19.
Watch the NHL on Fubo!Stars at Capitals odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:45 p.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML): Stars -102 (bet $102 to win $100) | Capitals -118 (bet $118 to win $100)Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Stars +1.5 (-235) | Capitals -1.5 (+195)Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)Stars at Capitals projected goalies
Casey DeSmith (9-2-4, 2.42 GAA, .913 SV%, 1 SO) vs. Logan Thompson (15-11-4, 2.37 GAA, .915 SV%, 2 SO)
DeSmith played Tuesday and had 16 saves while allowing 1 goal. The 24-year-old has played in just 2 games since Dec. 23.
Thompson last played Saturday, stopping 31 of 33 pucks against the Chicago Blackhawks. He has struggled of late (.874 SV% last 5 games), but for the season ranks sixth in the NHL in hockey-reference.com’s goals saved above average.
Stars at Capitals picks and predictionsPrediction
Capitals 4, Stars 3
Dallas is reeling defensively, having yielded 4.33 goals per game over its last 6. Opposing power plays have cranked out a 33.3% success rate over that stretch. and 5-on-5 expected-goals-allowed figures are no kinder.
A struggling club has been blood in the water for an opportunistic Caps squad a couple times in the last 8 days. Washington routed the New York Rangers 6-3 on Dec. 31. And the Ducks had been scuffling leading up to the Capitals’ 7-4 win on Monday. The Caps generate a ton of high-danger chances in 5-on-5 play; that could be a toxic problem for a Stars club already having issues on defense.
Thompson owns a .933 SV% across 4 career games against the Stars.
BACK THE CAPITALS (-118).
Lots of juice — and no value — in these tags. AVOID.
The Stars’ defensive woes have led to the Over going 7-1-1 across Dallas’ last 9 games. The Over is 6-1 in Washington’s last 7.
Both sides have shaky 5-on-5 defensive metrics over the last couple weeks. And both penalty kills have been slumping as well.
The OVER 6.5 (+100) is a slight lean.
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