It is Alex Ovechkin against Sidney Crosby as the Washington Capitals face the Pittsburgh Penguins. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Capitals-Penguins prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Capitals come into the game sitting at 28-23-9 on the year, seven points out of a playoff spot. They have also won five of their last eight games, and last time out, the Capitals faced the Coytoes. The Coyotes struck first with a goal in the first period and then added a second goal to make it 2-0 in the second. Sonny Milano scored on the power play to make it 2-1, but the Coyotes would add two more goals to make it 4-1 going into the third. The Capitals struck quickly in the third, with a power play goal from Anthony Mantha to make it 4-2, but an empty net goal would seal it, and the Capitals fell 5-2.
Meanwhile, the Penguins come into the game at 28-24-8 on the year, a point behind Washington. They have won four of their last nine games overall and faced the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Penguins scored twice in the first period, with goals from Jesse Puljujarvi and Evgeni Malkin. In the second, the Blue Jackets would tie the game, but Rickard Rakell scored on the power play as the Penguins took the 3-2 lead going into the third. In the third, the Blue Jets would tie it again, but the Penguins scored twice to make it 5-3 and take the win by that score.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Capitals-Penguins Odds
Washington Capitals: +1.5 (-170)
Moneyline: +142
Pittsburgh Penguins: -1.5 (+140)
Moneyline: -172
Over: 6.5 (-102)
Under: 6.5 (-120)
How to Watch Capitals vs. Penguins
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: NHLPP/ESPN+
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Capitals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Capitals come into the game sitting 30th in the NHL in goals per game this year, with just 2.62 goals per game on the season. They are led by Dylan Strome leads the team in goals this year. He comes into the game with 22 goals this year and 25 assists, good for 47 total points, which leads the team. He also has five goals and ten assists on the power play this year. Further, Alex Ovechkin comes into the game third on the team in goals and second in assists, but tied for the team lead in points this year. He has 17 goals and 28 assists this year for 45 points. Seven of the goals and 11 of the assists have been on the power play.
John Carlson leads the team in assists this year, playing from the blue line. He comes into the game with five goals and 30 assists, good for a third-ranked 35 points. He has two goals and 11 assists on the power play. Rounding out the top scorers, and sitting second on the team in goals, is Anthony Mantha. Mantha comes into the game with 20 goals and 14 assists overall. He has struggled on the power play though, with just three goals and four assists.
The Capitals sit 23rd in the NHL this year on the power play, with an 18.8 percent conversion rate on the man advantage. Further, they are 16th in the NHL on the penalty kill, with a 79.3 percent success rate.
Charlie Lindgren is expected to be in goal for this captain. He is 13-10-5 on the year with a 2.86 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. He is coking of a rough start though. Last time out, he allowed four goals on 27 shots. Since the start of February, he has been 4-4-1 with a .880 save percentage and a goals-against average over 3.5.
Why The Penguins Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Penguins sit 23rd in the NHL this year in scoring with 2.95 goals per game. Sidney Crosby leads the way this year in goals and points. He comes into the game with 32 goals on the year, plus 31 assists, for a total of 63 points. He has been solid on the power play as well, with eight goals and nine assists. Meanwhile, Jake Guentzel comes in second on the team in points while sitting tied for third on the team in assists. He enters the game with 22 goals and 30 assists, for a total of 52 points. Further, he also has four goals and nine assists on the power play.
Rounding out the top-scoring forwards is Evgeni Malkin. Malkin has 18 goals this year with 30 assists, giving him 48 total points. He has scored three of those goals and ten assists on the power play. Still, the Penguins get a lot of help from the blue line on offense. Erik Karlsson comes in with eight goals and 35 assists this year while having two goals and 13 assists on the power play. Kris Letang has scored seven times this year, but has 30 assists, making him fifth on the team in points. He has not had the same level of success on the power play though, with just three assists this year.
The Penguins power play has struggled this year. They have a 15.3 percent conversion rate, which ranks them 28th in the NHL on the season. They have been solid on the penalty kill though, with an 82.3 percent success rate, sixth in the NHL.
Tristan Jarry is scheduled to be in goal once again for the Penguins in this one. He comes into the game at 18-19-4 with a 2.61 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. While all three of those marks are top 16 in the NHL, he leads the NHL in shutouts with six of them. Jarry rebounded from a bad start last time out but was not amazing. He allowed three goals on 36 shots, taking the win over the Blue Jackets.
Final Capitals-Penguins Prediction & Pick
These two teams are very similar. The Capitals have struggled to score all year, but the Penguins are not scoring much better. Further, both goalies can have solid games. Both teams also struggled on the power pay this year. The prediction for this Capitals-Penguins game is a low-scoring affair as the under hits.
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Final Capitals-Penguins Prediction & Pick: Under 6.5 (-120)