Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins Preview
Looking to win big? The Penguins and Capitals face off at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. The Capitals are hosting the game at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.
The Penguins are favored by -1.5 in this Metropolitan divisional contest against the Capitals. The game’s over/under currently sits at 6 goals. Check out BetCoco for Washington Capitals – Pittsburgh Penguins odds
Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins Head-to-Head and Key Stats
The last ten head-to-head matchups between then Capitals and Penguins have gone in favor of the Capitals, putting together a record of 6-4. When looking at the last three head-to-head matchups between the Penguins and Capitals, only 1 point per game has separated the teams, with the Capitals going 2-1 vs. the spread.
- Across their last three road contests, Pittsburgh has been good against the puck line posting a mark of 2-1. Their overall mark in these games was 2-1, while averaging 4 goals per game.
- Across their last five home contests, Washington has been good against the puck line posting a mark of 3-2. Their overall mark in these games was 3-2, while averaging 3 goals per game.
- In their last five games as the betting underdog, the Capitals have a straight up record of 2-3 and an puck line mark of 3-2.
- Although the Penguins have a strong straight up record in their last three games as the betting favorite, they have not done as well vs the puck line going 1-2.
Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction
As the Penguins head into this game, they have gone 34-30-11, which puts them in 6th place in the Metropolitan Division and 11th in the Eastern Conference. On the road, Pittsburgh has gone 14-17-7, and they have won their last two games away from home. Over their last ten games, the Penguins have gone 5-5, and they have been favored in 44 of their 75 games this season.
So far against other Eastern Conference teams, Pittsburgh has gone 20-24, and they have gone 12-12 against other teams in the Metropolitan Division. For the season, the Penguins have 79 points. Over their last five games, Pittsburgh has gone 4-1, and they have won three straight games when they have been the underdog.
For their offensive performance, the Penguins come in averaging 3 goals per game this season, which is 21st in the NHL. In the category of shots on goal per game, they are 6th in the league. This year, the Penguins have recorded a 20-18 record in games where they outshoot their opponent. For games with fewer shots on goal, they have a 13-11 record.
Heading into this matchup vs. Washington, goalie Alex Nedeljkovic has started 26 games in this season. His current record is 14-6, and his save percentage stands at 0.643%.
At home this season, the Capitals have gone 20-11-6 and have been the underdog in 55 of their 74 games. In the Eastern Conference, Washington is in 8th place and 4th in the Metropolitan Division. Over their last ten games, the Capitals have gone 6-4 and have lost their last three games.
Overall, Washington has a record of 36-28-10 and has earned 82 points. In games against other Eastern Conference teams, the Capitals have gone 21-21. As the underdog, Washington has a record of 22-25-8 this season and have lost their last three games.
On offense, the Capitals are averaging 2.7 goals per game which is 28th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are 31st in the league. So far this year, the Capitals are 10-6 in games they have had more shots on goal than their opponent. They are 26-22 in games with fewer shots on goal.
Goalie Charlie Lindgren comes into the game having made 41 starts this season. So far, his record is 21-14 and he has a save percentage of 0.812%.
The Penguins enter this game as 1.5-goal favorites and in our projections and we anticipate them winning by a score of 4-3.
Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Tips
- Take the Penguins on the moneyline
- On the puck line, we like Capitals (+1.5)
- Our NHL model projects 7 goals, and we suggest taking the under
Washington Capitals Injury Report
- T.J. Oshie – Upper Body – Questionable
- Darcy Kuemper – Undisclosed – Questionable
- Nicklas Backstrom – Hip – Out
- Ethan Bear – Personal – Out
Pittsburgh Penguins Injury Report
- Matt Nieto – Lower Body – Out
- Tristan Jarry – Illness – Questionable
- Ryan Graves – Upper Body – Out
- Noel Acciari – Undisclosed – Out
- Jansen Harkins – Hand – Out
- John Ludvig – Illness – Questionable
