Two of the NHL’s best teams on the power play, the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins clash at PPG Paints Arena for a divisional matchup. The first puck will drop at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 1, and you’ll be able to watch the game live on NBC Sports Network.
Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
Washington is 46-32 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 8.3 units this season. 43 of its outings have gone over the total, while 33 have gone under and just two have pushed. The Caps are 19-20 SU as an away team in 2017-18.
Washington has converted on 22.6 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s good enough for eighth-best in the league. Its penalty kill is ranked 17th in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off 80.2 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Washington has been called for penalties 4.1 times per game in the 2017-18 season, and 3.4 per game over its past five contests. The team has had to kill penalties just 8.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 27.7 saves per game with a .907 save percentage, Braden Holtby (32-20-4) has been the best option in goal for Washington this year. If it decides to rest him, however, head coach Barry Trotz could go with Philipp Grubauer (14-19-3), who has a .923 save percentage and 2.33 goals against average this year.
Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov will both lead the way for the visiting Capitals. Ovechkin (83 points) has tallied 45 goals and 38 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 23 different games. Kuznetsov has 25 goals and 52 assists to his name (and has logged a point in 46 games).
Despite posting a record of 45-34 straight up (SU), Pittsburgh has lost moneyline bettors a total of 3.5 units this season. Through 79 regular season matches, 45 of its games have gone over the total, while 31 have gone under and just two have pushed. It’s 29-10 SU at home this year.
Pittsburgh currently has the first-best power-play unit in the NHL, as the team has converted on 26.4 percent of its extra-man opportunities this season. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 21st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.4 percent of all penalties.
Pittsburgh players have been called for penalties 3.9 times per game in total this season, and 2.8 per game over their past five outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 7.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Matt Murray has denied 26.2 shots per game as the primary netminder in goal for Pittsburgh. Murray has 28 wins, 19 losses, and three OT losses to his credit and has maintained a mediocre 2.89 goals against average and a subpar .907 save percentage this season.
The home team will be led on offense by Evgeni Malkin (42 goals, 53 assists).
Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Predictions
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The total has gone over in each of Pittsburgh’s last five games.
- Washington has managed 27.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Pittsburgh is averaging 35.4 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Power plays and penalty kills could have a key role tonight. The Capitals are 14-9 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 26-16 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Penguins are 21-11 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 28-22 when total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Washington is 3-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Pittsburgh is 2-2 in shootouts.
- Pittsburgh has created 6.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a drop-off from its season average of 7.0 takeaways per game (ranked 18th overall).
- Washington has forced 4.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 7.1 takeaways per game (ranked 16th in the league).
