Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Preview 3/12/19

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In their fourth and last head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins take the ice at PPG Paints Arena. NBC Sports Network will broadcast this divisional matchup, and the puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 12.

Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Odds

Pittsburgh (-135) is being labeled as the favorite over Washington (+115), and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals. The odds for betting the total sit at -135 for the over and +115 for the under.

Washington is 41-28 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 5.8 units this year. Through 69 regular season outings, 35 of its games have gone over the total, while 31 have gone under and just three have pushed. As the road team in 2018-19, the Caps are 20-14 SU.

Washington has converted on 21.8 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that’s good enough for 10th-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 20th in the league, and it’s successfully killed off 79.7 percent of its penalties.

For the team as a whole, Washington has been penalized 4.0 times per game overall in the 2018-19 season, and 2.8 per game over its last five on the road. The team’s had to kill penalties just 8.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.

With a .910 save percentage and 27.9 saves per game, Braden Holtby (26-23-6) has been the top option in goal for Washington this season. If it decides to rest him, however, the team could turn to Pheonix Copley (16-8-3), who has a .904 save percentage and 2.97 goals against average this year.

Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Capitals. Ovechkin (77 points) has tallied 46 goals and 31 assists, and has recorded two or more points 20 times. Backstrom has 18 goals and 47 assists to his name (and has registered a point in 42 games).

On the other bench, Pittsburgh is 37-32 straight up (SU) and has lost 11.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. 32 of its contests have gone over the total, while another 32 have gone under and just five have pushed. It’s 20-14 SU at home this season.

Pittsburgh has converted on 24.7 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 17th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.5 percent of all penalties.

The Penguins have been penalized 3.5 times per game this season, and 5.2 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to kill penalties 8.6 minutes per game over their last five outings.

Matt Murray has denied 29.3 shots per game as the top netminder in goal for Pittsburgh. Murray has 23 wins, 15 losses, and three overtime losses to his credit and has registered a .917 save percentage and 2.78 goals against average this year.

The Pens offense will be led by Sidney Crosby (31 goals, 57 assists).

Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins Free Picks

Prediction: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Under

Betting Trends

  • The total has gone under in each of Pittsburgh’s last five games.
  • The Capitals are 17-6 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 26-16 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total.
  • Washington is 4-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Pittsburgh is 1-2 in shootouts.
  • Pittsburgh has averaged 7.6 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a slight drop from its season average of 8.0 takeaways per game (ranked 12th in the NHL).
  • Washington has allowed 3.1 goals per game overall this season, but is allowing only 2.0 per match up over the team’s seven-game winning streak.
  • Washington is ranked 11th in the NHL this season with 8.1 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower lately, however, as it’s averaged 6.3 takeaways over its last 10 games and 7.2 takeaways over its last five.
  • Washington could hold the upper hand if it’s a tight one late. The team’s an impressive 17-11 in one-goal games, while Pittsburgh is 12-14 in such games.