The Pittsburgh Penguins, spearheaded by Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust, are set to take the ice against John Carlson, Alex Ovechkin, and the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena in a divisional matchup. The action gets started at 0 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 23, and it’ll be shown live on NBC.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals Odds
The Capitals (-135) are currently the favorite over the Penguins (+115), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 7 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Washington is 37-24 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 1.8 units this year. That winning percentage, ranked fourth in the league in this young season, is right in line with the 48-34 record the team managed during last year’s regular season campaign. Through 61 regular season contests, 37 of the team’s games have gone over the total, while 21 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team is 16-14 SU at home this year.
The Capitals have converted on 20.5 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 83.3 percent of all penalties.
With a .896 save percentage and 25.5 saves per game, Braden Holtby (22 wins, 20 losses, and five OT losses) has been the most dependable goalkeeper for the Caps this season. If head coach Todd Reirden decides to give him a rest, however, Washington may go with Ilya Samsonov (16-8-8 record, .916 save percentage, 2.41 goals against average).
Pittsburgh has earned 10.3 units for moneyline bettors this year and is currently 37-23 straight up (SU). A total of 30 of its games have gone under the total, while 27 have gone over and just two have pushed. As the visiting team, the Penguins are 15-13 SU so far.
The Penguins have converted on 21.5 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 12th overall and it’s successfully killed off 81.7 percent of all penalties.
Tristan Jarry (2.23 goals against average and .927 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Pittsburgh. Jarry is averaging 27.7 saves per game and has 20 wins, 10 losses, and one OT loss to his credit.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Capitals, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- Penalties and power plays may be critical in this game. The Penguins are 17-9 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 26-15 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Capitals are 12-10 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 20-13 in games where total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Pittsburgh is 3-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while Washington is 3-2 in shootouts.
- The under has hit in three of Washington’s last five games.
- Pittsburgh skaters have averaged 7.0 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 9.3 giveaways per game (ranked 13th).
- Washington skaters have averaged 14.4 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 11.2 giveaways per game (ranked 22nd in the NHL).
- This game features a couple of the more physical defenses in the league. Pittsburgh skaters have accounted for the league’s second-most hits per game (28.3) while the Capitals have recorded the sixth-most (25.0).
