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2026-27 forecast · Fri, Jan 29, 9:00 PM ET
Karel Vejmelka · 0.897 SV%
The preseason ratings make Utah Mammoth 55.2% to win at home — a modest lean, worth 5.2 points over a coin flip, which grades B. Over a full season those same ratings project UTA for 99 points and WSH for 98.
A preseason forecast from each team's regressed rating and home ice, the ratings behind the projected standings. The full model read, with the starting goalies, rest and form, publishes within seven days of the game and replaces this page’s numbers. How the model works
UTA controlled play at 5v5 last season, 52.6% of the expected goals to 49.9%; UTA's power play ran at 19.1% against a WSH kill at 80.1%.
In goal, neither team has named a starter. Last season Logan Thompson (WSH) saved 2.8 goals above expected to Karel Vejmelka's -22.7, on save percentages of 0.912 and 0.897.
None of that is the model read. This is a rating-and-home-ice forecast; the full prediction — confirmed goalies, rest and form, priced against the market — publishes inside the seven days before puck drop and replaces these numbers. Utah Mammoth over Washington Capitals is where it starts, not where it ends.
No starter is named this far out. These are each side’s projected starters on the current roster, with last season’s numbers.
WSH
Logan Thompson
58 games, 2025-26
UTA
Karel Vejmelka
64 games, 2025-26
| WSH | Metric | UTA |
|---|---|---|
| 49.9% | xGF% (5v5) | 52.6% |
| 49.9% | Shot share | 51.2% |
| 3.2 | Goals for / game | 3.3 |
| 2.9 | Goals against / game | 3.0 |
| 17.8% | Power play | 19.1% |
| 80.1% | Penalty kill | 78.3% |
| 49.3% | Faceoffs | 49.1% |
Washington Capitals
| Player | Pos | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L | 34 | 29 | 63 | |
| C | 21 | 39 | 60 | |
| R | 26 | 30 | 57 | |
| R | 25 | 32 | 56 |
Utah Mammoth
| Player | Pos | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 27 | 53 | 80 |
| Date | Game | Pick | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-26 | WSH @ UTA | UTA | WSH 7–4 UTA | Missed |
| 2026-03-03 | UTA @ WSH | WSH | UTA 3–2 WSH | Missed |
| Team | Proj. points | Playoff odds |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Capitals | 98 | 51.2% |
| Utah Mammoth | 99 | 60.8% |
Forecast method preseason-elo-v1; ratings as of 2026-08-19.
| R | 33 | 33 | 66 |
| C | 29 | 33 | 61 |
| C | 22 | 37 | 59 |