The Pittsburgh Penguins (4-6-2) head to D.C. to take on the Washington Capitals (6-6-2) Wednesday at Capital One Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Penguins vs. Capitals odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
This is a battle of 2 playoff teams that have gotten off to rough starts. Pittsburgh has lost 7 in a row, and 5 of them have been by multiple goals. C Sidney Crosby (6 goals, 8 assists) and C Evgeni Malkin (5 goals, 7 assists) are doing their thing, but the Pens aren’t getting much production from their bottom 2 lines.
Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin has 8 goals on the year as he is now 106 goals from tying Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record. “The Great 8” has goals in 3 straight games and 5 of his last 6. The Caps are playing without LW Carl Hagelin (eye), RW T.J. Oshie (lower body), RW Tom Wilson (knee) and D John Carlson (lower body) as they try to navigate an assortment of injuries.
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Penguins at Capitals odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated 8:30 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Penguins -130 (bet $130 to win $100) | Capitals +105 (bet $100 to win $105)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Penguins -1.5 (+180) | Capitals +1.5 (-230)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
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Penguins at Capitals projected goalies
Tristan Jarry (4-3-1, 3.38 GAA, .903 SV%, 0 SO) vs. Darcy Kuemper (4-5-1, 2.42 GAA, .919 SV%, 1 SO)
Jarry has lost 4 straight starts, and he has allowed 19 goals in the process. He allowed just 8 goals in his previous 4 starts to open the year. He had trouble with Washington last year, going 1-2-1 with a 3.96 GAA and .884 SV % in 4 starts.
On the flip side, Kuemper has been solid through 10 starts, but he has lost 3 in a row as well. His 2.42 GAA is better than it was last year when he won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, but the Caps are scoring just 2.86 goals per game. Kuemper was 2-0-0 with a 3.02 GAA and .929 SV% against Pittsburgh last season.
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Penguins at Capitals picks and predictions
Prediction
Capitals 3, Penguins 2
Moneyline
I think Washington sneaks this one out as its goalie is playing far better, and he can draw from the home crowd. The Capitals have won 3 of the last 4 meetings, and the underdog has taken 4 of the last 5 between the teams.
Take the CAPITALS (+105).
Puck line/Against the spread
The puck line is priced out of range with the Caps +1.5 (-220). With Jarry struggling the way he is, CAPITALS OVER 2.5 TOTAL GOALS IN REGULATION (-155) seems like a lock.
Over/Under
There are some Over trends in this matchup, but neither team is playing at the level they expect offensively. The Over is 13-3 in the last 16 meetings and 4-1 in the last 5 in Washington.
However, Pittsburgh is 5-5 O/U over the last 10, and Washington is 4-6. Pittsburgh has just 15 goals in its last 7 games, and Washington has just 13.
LEAN UNDER 6.5 (-108).
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