The Capitals will revert their top-6 back to what it was at the start of the season as coach Spencer Carbery continues to look for a spark at 5-on-5. Alex Ovechkin will reunite with Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas, while Pierre-Luc Dubois will go back to centering Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson.

Thompson is coming off back-to-back shutouts and has shown over the last three games that he can remain consistent with a bigger workload. His .924 save percentage is the third-best in the league, and he leads the NHL in points percentage thanks to his 20-2-3 record.

Pregame analysis and predictions of the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals NHL game to be played on January 18, 2025 on ESPN.

Prediction for the NHL Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins match will occur on January 19. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are coming off a 5-2 win last night against a streaky Buffalo Sabres club. The game saw Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell continue their hot run since they were left off their national teams for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

The Pittsburgh Penguins began a monumental seven-game road trip that may decide their season. Their first game came Friday night against the Buffalo Sabres, and no one with a ticket would believe they'd witness history in the Penguins' 5-2 triumph.

Washington sits third in the league with 3.56 goals per game in 2024-25.

As they get ready to meet the Pittsburgh Penguins (18-20-8) on Saturday, January 18 at Capital One Arena, with the puck dropping at 7:00 PM ET, the Washington Capitals (30-10-5) have four players currently listed on the injury report.

The Penguins (44 points) are 18-20-8, ranking sixth in the Metropolitan Division and seventh in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. They trail the Columbus Blue Jackets, owners of the second wild-card berth, by four points in the standings.

In a game that kicked off a critical seven-game road trip across the country as the Pittsburgh Penguins try to climb back into a playoff spot, they rode an efficient power play and strong goaltending on Friday while shedding some bad habits to down the Buffalo Sabres 5-2.

In the Penguins' 5-2 win in Buffalo, Nedeljkovic became the first goalie in NHL history to notch a goal and an assist in a single game.