Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and the Pittsburgh Penguins will face off against Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena for a divisional matchup. The opening faceoff will be at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 19, and it can be watched live on NBC Sports Network.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals Odds
With a moneyline of -140, Washington comes into the game as the obvious favorite. The line for Pittsburgh sits at +120, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -125 under, +105 over.
Earning 5.0 units for moneyline bettors, Washington is 20-12 straight up (SU) overall thus far. That winning percentage, ranked 1st in the Metropolitan Division in this young season, is right in line with the 49-33 record the team managed during the 2017-18 season campaign. Through 32 regular season outings, 19 of its games have gone over the total, while 11 have gone under and just two have pushed. This season, the team is 10-6 SU at home.
The Capitals have converted on 26.3 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that’s good enough for sixth-best in the league. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 28th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 75.2 percent of all penalties.
With a .910 save percentage and 28.0 saves per game, Braden Holtby (13-10-3) has been the primary option in goal for the Caps this year. If the Caps, however, decide to give him the night off, Washington may go with Pheonix Copley (8-3-3 record, .902 save percentage, 2.93 goals against average).
Pittsburgh has lost 14.5 units for moneyline bettors thus far and is currently 15-18 straight up (SU). A total of 15 of its outings have gone over the total, while 13 have gone under the total and just five have pushed. As the visiting team , the Penguins are 6-9 SU.
The Penguins have converted on 22.8 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s good enough for ninth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 10th overall and it’s successfully killed off 82.1 percent of all penalties.
Casey DeSmith (26.4 saves per game) has been the main choice in the net for Pittsburgh. DeSmith owns a 10-13-4 record, and has registered a .923 save percentage and 2.49 goals against average this year.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals Betting Predictions
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Two of the Capitals’ last ten games have been decided by a shootout. The team is 2-0 in those games and 3-1 overall in shootouts this year.
- For both of these clubs, the game went over the total in four of their past five matchups.
- Seven of Washington’s last ten outings have been decided by two or more goals, and the team is 6-1 overall in those games.
- Pittsburgh skaters have accounted for the league’s second-most hits per game (30.5), but the team’s recorded just 21.4 hits over their last five away games.
