The Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals in Capital One Arena in Game 5 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference Semifinals. The action gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 5 and it will be shown live on NBC.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals Odds
Washington (-115) is currently the favorite over Pittsburgh (-105), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-120 for the over, +100 for the under).
Washington is 55-37 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 11.9 units this year. That winning percentage, ranked fifth in the NHL in this young season, is a regression from the 55-27 record that the team managed during last year’s regular season campaign. Among the team’s 92 games this season, 51 have gone over the total, while 39 have gone under and just two have pushed. This season, the team’s 30-16 SU at home.
The Capitals’ offensive attack attempted 29.5 shots per game in the regular season, leading to 3.2 goals per outing (ranked ninth overall in the NHL). In the playoffs, the club is climbed to an average of 33.2 shots on goal 3.5 goals per game.
Following a regular season where they found the net on 23.8 percent of all power-play opportunities (the seventh-best), the Capitals have been able to score on 31.6 percent of their postseason power plays. Their penalty kill has gone from 80.4 percent in the regular season to 81.1 percent in the playoffs.
With a .909 save percentage and 27.4 saves per game, Braden Holtby (40-23-5) has been the primary goalkeeper for Washington this season. If head coach Barry Trotz decides to give him the night off, however, Washington might roll with Philipp Grubauer (15-22-22 record, .919 save percentage, 2.47 goals against average).
Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov will each lead the charge for the Capitals. Ovechkin (100 points) has tallied 57 goals and 43 assists and has recorded two or more points on 30 different occasions this year. Kuznetsov has 32 goals and 61 assists to his name and has recorded a point in 55 games.
Earning -3 units for moneyline bettors, Pittsburgh is 53-39 straight up (SU) overall thus far. A total of 50 of its matches have gone over the total, while 37 have gone under and just five have pushed. As the visiting team, the Penguins are 21-25 SU.
The Penguins currently tout the first-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as they’ve converted on 25.5 percent of their extra-man opportunities this season. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 17th overall and it’s successfully killed off 80.5 percent of all penalties.
Pittsburgh’s players have been penalized 4.0 times per game in total this season, 4.2 per game over their past five games total, and 4.2 per game over their last five road outings. The team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays 8.8 minutes per contest over their last five road games.
Matt Murray (2.82 goals against average and .907 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Pittsburgh. Murray is averaging 25.8 saves per game and owns a 35-24-3 record.
For the visiting Penguins, the offense will be coordinated by Sidney Crosby (37 goals, 71 assists) and Evgeni Malkin (46 goals, 59 assists).
Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Notes
The total has gone under in three of Washington’s last five outings.
Pittsburgh has managed 28.4 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Washington is averaging 36.6 shots per game over its last five at home.
Eight of Pittsburgh’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 5-3 in those games.
Pittsburgh skaters have dished out the league’s sixth-most hits per game (24.5).
