The Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals in Capital One Arena in Game 2 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference Semis. This one will get going at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 29 and it’ll be televised live on NBC.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals Odds
Washington (-120) is currently favored over Pittsburgh (+100), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals. The odds for betting that total sit at -120 under, +100 over.
Earning 10.5 units for moneyline bettors, the Capitals are 53-36 straight up (SU) overall this year. That winning percentage, the best in the Metropolitan Division so far in this young season, is a slide from what the team managed during the 2016-17 season (55-27). Through 89 regular season matches, 50 of its games have gone over the total, while 37 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team is 29-16 SU at home this season.
Washington’s offensive skaters attempted 29.6 shots per game in the regular season, resulting in 3.2 goals per outing (ranked ninth overall in the NHL). In the postseason, the club is up to an average of 36.7 shots on goal (and up to 3.7 goals per game).
Following a regular season where they converted 23.5 percent of all power-play chances (the seventh-best), the Capitals have been able to score on 32.1 percent of their postseason power plays. Their penalty kill has gone from 80.7 percent in the regular season to 84.6 percent in the playoffs.
Averaging 27.6 saves per game with a .909 save percentage, Braden Holtby (38-22-5) has been the top option in goal for the Capitals this year. If they choose to give him a rest, however, it could roll with Philipp Grubauer (15-22-22 record, .919 save percentage, 2.47 goals against average).
The Caps will continue to lean on the offensive production from Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Ovechkin (97 points) has put up 55 goals and 42 assists and has recorded two or more points 28 times this year. Kuznetsov has 32 goals and 60 assists to his credit and has notched at least one point in 54 games.
Pittsburgh is 52-37 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. Through 89 regular season matches, 49 of its games have gone over the total, while 35 have gone under and just five have pushed. Pittsburgh’s 21-24 SU as the road team this season.
Pittsburgh currently touts the first-best power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s found the net on 25.4 percent of its extra-man chances this year. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 17th overall and it’s successfully killed off 80.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
Pittsburgh’s players have been penalized 4.0 times per game in total this season, 4.0 per game over their last five games total, and 3.8 per game over their last five games as the visiting team. The team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 8.0 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
Matt Murray (26.0 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Pittsburgh. Murray owns a 34-22-3 record, while registering a .908 save percentage and 2.82 goals against average this year.
For the visiting Penguins, the offense will be coordinated by Sidney Crosby (36 goals, 68 assists) and Evgeni Malkin (45 goals, 58 assists).
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals Betting Predictions
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Notes
Betting Notes
The total has gone under in three of Washington’s last five games.
Pittsburgh has managed 30.4 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Washington is averaging 35.4 shots per game over its last five at home.
Power plays and penalty kills could prove to be key in this one. The Penguins are 24-13 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 33-22 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Capitals are 16-12 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 30-19 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
Washington has managed 10.2 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 7.2 takeaways per game (ranked 14th).
Pittsburgh skaters have forced 6.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 7.1 takeaways per game (ranked 18th in the league).
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