The Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins in PPG Paints Arena in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. NBC Sports Network will broadcast the game, and the opening face-off takes place at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 1.
Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
Pittsburgh (-145) is currently favored over Washington (+125) and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total sit at -115 for the over and -105 on the under.
Washington is 54-36 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 11.5 units this season. Through 90 regular season matches, 50 of its games have gone over the total, while 38 have gone under and just two have pushed. As the road team in 2017-18, the Caps are 24-20 SU.
The Capitals’ offensive skaters attempted 29.6 shots per game in the regular season, leading to 3.2 goals per contest (ranked ninth overall in the NHL). In the playoffs, the club is climbed to an average of 36.1 shots on goal (yet up to 3.8 goals per game).
Following a regular season where they scored on 23.6 percent of all power-play opportunities (the seventh-strongest), the Capitals have been able to score on 32.3 percent of their power plays in the postseason. Their penalty kill’s gone from 80.9 percent in the regular season to 86.2 percent in the playoffs.
With a .910 save percentage and 27.6 saves per game, Braden Holtby (39-22-5) has been the primary option in goal for Washington this season. If it decides to give him a rest, however, head coach Barry Trotz could roll with Philipp Grubauer (15-22-5 record, .919 save percentage, 2.47 goals against average).
Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov will both lead the way for the visiting Capitals. Ovechkin has 98 points on 56 goals and 42 assists, and has recorded multiple points 29 times. Kuznetsov has 32 goals and 60 assists to his creditand has notched a point in 55 games.
Even though it has posted a record of 52-38 straight up (SU), moneyline bettors have lost 2.5 units by wagering on Pittsburgh this season. Through 90 regular season contests, 49 of its games have gone over the total, while 36 have gone under and just five have pushed. The team is 31-13 SU at home this season.
The Penguins come into the matchup with the first-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as they’ve found the net on 25.2 percent of their extra-man chances this year. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 17th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.7 percent of all penalties.
Penguins players have been penalized 4.0 times per game in total this season, and 5.2 per game over their last five at home. The team has had to kill penalties just 8.2 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Matt Murray has denied 26.0 shots per game as the primary option in goal for the Penguins. Murray has 34 wins, 23 losses, and three OT losses to his name and has recorded a fairly-weak .908 save percentage and 2.83 goals against average this year.
Sidney Crosby (36 goals, 68 assists) will lead the offensive attack for the hosts.
Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Predictions
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Notes
Over Pittsburgh’s last ten outings, eight of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 5-3 in those games).
Power plays and penalty kills may prove to be critical tonight. The Capitals are 16-12 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 30-19 when they’re in the box for fewer than 10 penalty minutes, total. The Penguins are 24-13 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 33-22 when their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
Pittsburgh is 2-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Washington is 3-1 in shootouts.
The under has hit in three of Pittsburgh’s last five games.
Pittsburgh has averaged 9.8 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 8.9 giveaways per game (ranked 12th in the NHL).
Washington skaters have averaged 6.6 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 10.8 giveaways per game (ranked 25th).
The Pens this season have handed the sixth-most hits in the NHL (24.2 per game), but that number has climbed to 27.8 over their past five games as the home team.
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