Tampa Bay Lightning defeat Washington Capitals 3-1: Recap, Betting Results & AiQ Picks
Sat, Oct 3, 2026 · NHL · Washington Capitals 1, Tampa Bay Lightning 3
The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Washington Capitals 3-1 on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at Benchmark International Arena. The Tampa Bay Lightning covered the puck line as 1.5-goal favorites. The game went under the closing total of 6.5, with 4 goals combined. AiQ's moneyline pick in this game won, and its player props went 63-17.
Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning final score and game recap
The Tampa Bay Lightning led 2-0 after the first period and 2-1 after two periods. They outscored the Washington Capitals 1-0 in the third period. They led at the end of every period.
The leading performers, from the box score:
- Charlie Lindgren (Washington Capitals): 27 saves on 29 shots.
- Justin Sourdif (Washington Capitals): 1 goal.
- Jake Guentzel (Tampa Bay Lightning): 1 goal, 1 assist.
- Conor Geekie (Tampa Bay Lightning): 1 goal.
Who covered the spread in Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning?
The Tampa Bay Lightning covered the puck line as 1.5-goal favorites, winning by 2 goals.
The puck line opened and closed at Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5.
Did Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning go over or under the total?
The game went under: 4 goals combined against a closing total of 6.5, under by 2.5.
The total opened at 6 and closed at 6.5.
How did AiQ's Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning predictions do?
AiQ's moneyline pick in this game won, and its player props went 63-17.
- Moneyline: the Tampa Bay Lightning to win at -205, a win (+$48.78 on a $100 bet).
- Player props: 63-17, +$1116.58 on $100 a pick at the listed prices.
Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning player prop results
AiQ's player prop picks went 63-17 in this game, +$1116.58 on $100 a pick at the listed prices.
- Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals): under 0.5 assists at -450, finished with 0, a win.
- Jordan Kyrou (Washington Capitals): under 0.5 points at -185, finished with 0, a win.
- Brandon Hagel (Tampa Bay Lightning): under 3.5 shots at -120, finished with 6, a loss.
- Alex Tuch (Washington Capitals): under 2.5 shots at -185, finished with 1, a win.
- Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning): over 0.5 assists at -205, finished with 1, a win.
- Jake Guentzel (Tampa Bay Lightning): under 0.5 assists at -150, finished with 1, a loss.
- Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals): under 0.5 assists at -320, finished with 0, a win.
- Alex Tuch (Washington Capitals): under 0.5 assists at -340, finished with 0, a win.
- Brandon Hagel (Tampa Bay Lightning): over 0.5 points at -200, finished with 2, a win.
- Alex Tuch (Washington Capitals): under 0.5 points at -155, finished with 0, a win.
- Pierre-Luc Dubois (Washington Capitals): under 0.5 points at -150, finished with 0, a win.
- Alex Tuch (Washington Capitals): under 0.5 goals at -420, finished with 0, a win.
- 68 more picks are in the record above but not listed.
Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning game prop results: first period and team totals
AiQ does not pick game props. This is how the sportsbook markets settled.
- First-period moneyline: Tampa Bay Lightning won the first period, paying -186.
- Tampa Bay Lightning team total 4.5: the under, paying -260, with 3 scored.
- Washington Capitals team total 3.5: the under, paying -280, with 1 scored.
- First-period total 1.5: the over, paying -135, with 2 goals scored.
Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning odds: sportsbook value and line movement
Shortly before the start, the consensus moneyline had the Washington Capitals at +165 and the Tampa Bay Lightning at -205. With the bookmaker's margin removed, that made the Tampa Bay Lightning a 64% favorite. The Tampa Bay Lightning won as the favorite at -205: $48.78 profit on a $100 bet. On AiQ's moneyline pick, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the best price before the game was -195 at BetRivers: priced below fair (−1.8% value).
The total moved up from 6 to 6.5, and the game went under.
Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning betting trends: 2026-27 season
This result left the Washington Capitals 1-1 in the 2026-27 regular season. Against the puck line, they covered in 1 of 2 games with a closing line on file. Their games went over the closing total 1 time and under 1 time.
This result left the Tampa Bay Lightning 1-1 in the 2026-27 regular season (1-0 at home, 0-1 away or at neutral sites). Against the puck line, they covered in 1 of 2 games with a closing line on file. Their games went over the closing total 1 time and under 1 time.
What's next for Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning?
Next for the Washington Capitals: the Pittsburgh Penguins at home on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. Next for the Tampa Bay Lightning: the Philadelphia Flyers at home on Monday, October 5, 2026.