The Washington Capitals travel to face the New Jersey Devils on April 2, 2026, in an important late-season Eastern Conference matchup at Prudential Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 PM ET and fans can watch the game live on ESPN+ and Hulu. This game features two teams in different situations as the regular season nears its end. Washington are still fighting for a playoff position while New Jersey are close to being eliminated from postseason contention. That difference in motivation could play a major role in the pace and intensity of the game.<\/p>\n
The Capitals enter this matchup with momentum after several strong performances in recent games. Washington have won multiple games recently and their offense has been productive, scoring consistently and creating scoring chances across all four lines. Veteran star Alex Ovechkin continues to lead the team and recently reached another milestone by hitting the 30-goal mark again. Even at 40 years old, Ovechkin remains one of the most dangerous shooters in the league and his leadership has helped keep Washington competitive in the playoff race.<\/p>\n
New Jersey\u2019s situation is very different. The Devils are coming off a tough loss against the New York Rangers and their playoff hopes are fading quickly. While the team has had some strong moments since the Olympic break, they have struggled to compete against stronger opponents. New Jersey still has talented players capable of producing offense, but inconsistency and defensive mistakes have limited their ability to climb the standings.<\/p>\n
Despite the Devils\u2019 difficult season, this matchup still carries intrigue. Rivalry games between these teams are often competitive and high energy. Washington will likely bring strong motivation because every point matters in the playoff race. Meanwhile New Jersey will look to play spoiler and finish the season on a positive note in front of their home fans.<\/p>\n
Match Details<\/p>\n
MatchWashington Capitals vs New Jersey DevilsDateApril 2, 2026Time7:30 PM ETVenuePrudential CenterLocationNewark, New JerseyBroadcastHulu, ESPN+, Devils Radio Network<\/p>\n
Eastern Conference Standings Snapshot<\/p>\n
TeamPositionPointsDetroit Red Wings10th86Philadelphia Flyers11th86Washington Capitals12th85New Jersey Devils13th78<\/p>\n
Washington remain close to the playoff line while New Jersey are several points behind the wild card race.<\/p>\n
Betting Odds<\/p>\n
MarketOddsMoneylineCapitals slight favoriteSpreadCapitals +1.5Total6 to 6.5 Goals<\/p>\n
The betting market slightly favors Washington due to their recent form and playoff motivation.<\/p>\n
Recent Form<\/p>\n
Washington Capitals \u2013 Last 5 Games<\/p>\n
DateOpponentResultApr 1FlyersWin 6-4Mar 29Golden KnightsWin 5-4Mar 27MammothWin 7-4Mar 25BluesLoss 0-3Mar 22AvalancheLoss 2-3<\/p>\n
Washington have won three straight games and their offense has produced several high-scoring performances.<\/p>\n
New Jersey Devils \u2013 Last 5 Games<\/p>\n
DateOpponentResultApr 1RangersLoss 1-4Mar 30BlackhawksWin 5-3Mar 29HurricanesLoss 2-5Mar 27PredatorsWin 4-2Mar 25StarsWin 6-4<\/p>\n
The Devils have shown mixed results recently with wins against weaker teams but struggles against stronger opponents.<\/p>\n
Head-to-Head Record<\/p>\n
DateResultMar 21, 2026Capitals 2 \u2013 Devils 1Dec 28, 2025Capitals 4 \u2013 Devils 3Nov 16, 2025Devils 3 \u2013 Capitals 2Sep 29, 2025Capitals 3 \u2013 Devils 2<\/p>\n
Recent meetings between these teams have been close and competitive.<\/p>\n
Projected Lineups<\/p>\n
Washington Capitals<\/p>\n
LinePlayers1Alex Ovechkin \u2013 Dylan Strome \u2013 Anthony Beauvillier2Aliaksai Protas \u2013 Pierre-Luc Dubois \u2013 Tom Wilson3Connor McMichael \u2013 Ryan Leonard \u2013 Justin Sourdif4Brandon Duhaime \u2013 Hendrix Lapierre \u2013 Ivan Miroshnichenko<\/p>\n
Defense Pairings<\/p>\n
DefenseMartin Fehervary \u2013 Rasmus SandinJakob Chychrun \u2013 Trevor van RiemsdykMatt Roy \u2013 Cole Hutson<\/p>\n
Goalies<\/p>\n
GoaltendersLogan ThompsonCharlie Lindgren<\/p>\n
New Jersey Devils<\/p>\n
LinePlayers1Jack Hughes \u2013 Jesper Bratt \u2013 Timo Meier2Nico Hischier \u2013 Tyler Toffoli \u2013 Dawson Mercer3Ondrej Palat \u2013 Erik Haula \u2013 Alexander Holtz4Curtis Lazar \u2013 Nathan Bastian \u2013 Tomas Nosek<\/p>\n
Defense Pairings<\/p>\n
DefenseDougie Hamilton \u2013 Jonas SiegenthalerJohn Marino \u2013 Luke HughesKevin Bahl \u2013 Simon Nemec<\/p>\n
Goalies<\/p>\n
GoaltendersJacob MarkstromNico Daws<\/p>\n
Injury Report<\/p>\n
New Jersey Devils<\/p>\n
PlayerStatusArseny GritsyukWeek-to-week<\/p>\n
Washington Capitals<\/p>\n
PlayerStatusAliaksai ProtasDay-to-day<\/p>\n
Injuries are limited for both teams which means most core players should be available.<\/p>\n
Key Stats Comparison<\/p>\n
CategoryDevilsCapitalsGoals Scored2.723.15Goals Allowed3.072.89Shots Per Game29.828.1Power Play22.5%17.8%Penalty Kill79.2%80.0%<\/p>\n
Washington hold the advantage in scoring while New Jersey generate slightly more shots.<\/p>\n
Players to Watch<\/p>\n
Washington Capitals<\/p>\n
PlayerRoleAlex OvechkinTeam captain and top scorerDylan StromeOffensive playmakerTom WilsonPhysical forward and secondary scorer<\/p>\n
New Jersey Devils<\/p>\n
PlayerRoleJack HughesElite playmaking centerJesper BrattSkilled wingerNico HischierTwo-way captain<\/p>\n
These players are the offensive engines for their teams and could influence the outcome.<\/p>\n
Player Props<\/p>\n
PlayerProp PickAlex OvechkinAnytime GoalJack HughesOver 0.5 PointsJesper BrattOver Shots<\/p>\n
These players are often involved in scoring chances and power-play opportunities.<\/p>\n
Best Picks<\/p>\n
Bet TypePickMoneylineCapitalsTotalUnder 6.5SpreadCapitals +1.5<\/p>\n
Washington\u2019s stronger defense and motivation in the playoff race give them a slight edge.<\/p>\n
How to Watch Capitals vs Devils<\/p>\n
Fans can watch the game live on ESPN+ and Hulu. The matchup will take place at Prudential Center in Newark with puck drop scheduled for 7:30 PM ET.<\/p>\n
Final Prediction<\/p>\n
Washington enter this game with momentum and playoff urgency while New Jersey have struggled to stay consistent against stronger teams. The Devils will likely push the pace at home, but the Capitals\u2019 experienced core and strong goaltending could be the difference.<\/p>\n
Predicted Score:
Capitals 4 \u2013 Devils 3<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Washington Capitals travel to face the New Jersey Devils on April 2, 2026, in an important late-season…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":537465,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5109],"tags":[201,5,576,151,5185,5184,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-537464","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-jersey-devils","8":"tag-devils","9":"tag-hockey","10":"tag-new-jersey","11":"tag-new-jersey-devils","12":"tag-newjersey","13":"tag-newjerseydevils","14":"tag-nhl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116337688629802907","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=537464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/537465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}