Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals sports betting odds and lines, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Washington Capitals (37-18-6) host the Pittsburgh Penguins (37-17-6) Sunday at Capital One Arena in a battle for top spot in the Metropolitan Division. Puck drop is set for 12 p.m. ET. We analyze the Penguins-Capitals sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.

Penguins at Capitals: Projected starting goalies

Matt Murray vs. Braden Holtby

Murray had the day off Saturday as the Penguins suffered a 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The 25-year-old is 17-8-5 through 32 starts with a .903 save percentage and 2.80 goals against average.

Holtby was also off Saturday while the Caps took a 3-2 road loss against the New Jersey Devils. He’s 0-2-1 in his last three outings but still 21-13-5 through 41 starts and a relief appearance. He has a .896 SV% and 3.14 GAA.


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Penguins at Capitals: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Odds last updated at 9 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Capitals 5, Penguins 3

Moneyline (ML)

The two teams enter the day tied for top spot in the Metro with 80 points. The Penguins (+120) have a game in hand, but they’ve dropped two straight. The CAPITALS (-143) have lost four in a row for the first time all season, but the last three have been by just single-goal margins and one went to overtime.

Back Washington, as the Caps are 16-9-5 on home ice and the Pens are a lackluster 15-11-2 on the road. Pittsburgh earned a 4-3 win in the season’s lone head-to-head meeting to date in Washington Feb. 2. The Pens rank just 29th in Corsi For Percentage (percentage of all shot attempts) since Feb. 1 at a rate of 44.84 at 5-on-5. The Caps are 11th (51.45%).

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Based on the lopsided possession metrics, double down on the CAPITALS (-1.5, +180) and back them to win by at least 2 goals. The Caps are 31-30 against the spread overall but just 10-20 on home ice, while the Pens are 28-32 ATS overall and 14-14 on the road. Seven of Washington’s last eight wins came by margins of at least 2 goals. Pittsburgh lost its last two games by an aggregate count of 9-2.

Over/Under (O/U)

Take the OVER 6.5 (+120) as the more profitable side of the Over/Under bet. The Penguins are 4-4-2 against the O/U across their last 10 games and the Capitals are 5-5 against the line, but the back-to-back situation and the early Sunday start will lead to sloppy defensive play and help open this up for the goal scorers.

Esten’s NHL betting record: 247-235

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals sports betting odds and lines, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Washington Capitals (35-12-5) host the Pittsburgh Penguins (32-14-5) Sunday at Capital One Arena in a battle of the top-two teams in the Metropolitan Division. Puck drop is scheduled for shortly after 12:30 p.m. ET. We analyze the Penguins-Capitals sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.

Penguins at Capitals: Projected starting goalies

Matt Murray at Ilya Samsonov

Murray will make his first start since Jan. 19, but he entered the lengthy layoff with five consecutive wins. He’s 15-6-4 through 27 starts, with a .900 save percentage and 2.84 goals against average. He’ll be looking to wrestle starts back from Tristan Jarry in the second half.

To a mild surprise, Samsonov draws Sunday’s marquee start instead of Braden Holtby. The younger Samsonov, 22, has been credited with the win in each of his last 11 starts. He has a .925 SV% and 2.12 GAA, and has become the Caps’ go-to option in net.


Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.


Penguins at Capitals: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 9:00 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Capitals 3, Penguins 1

Moneyline (ML)

I’m backing Samsonov and the fully healthy CAPITALS (-139) in Sunday’s rivalry spot. The Pens (+115) offer decent value, but the Caps sport a 15-6-4 home record for the season. Both teams are 7-3-0 across their last 10 games and are coming off wins Friday. Washington beat the Ottawa Senators 5-3 on the road, and Pittsburgh got past the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in a shootout on home ice.

This is the first of four games the two rivals will play against each other between Sunday and March 22. They haven’t met yet this season.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Capitals to win returns a profit of $7.20.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Take a risk on Super Bowl Sunday and double down with the CAPITALS (-1.5, +185) to win by at least 2 goals. Washington is 28-24 against the spread overall but just 9-16 at home, while Pittsburgh is 24-27 ATS overall and 13-11 on the road.

Each of the Caps’ last six wins was by a margin of at least 2 goals. The Penguins’ last three losses were each decided by a three-goal margin.

Over/Under (O/U)

The UNDER 6.5 (-139) is a strong play between two streaking goaltenders. I’d even consider the alternate line of UNDER 5.5 (+150) at plus-money for a greater return on investment. Both teams hit the Over six times in their last 10 games, but they will have their offensive outputs tempered against a strong ‘tender.

Esten’s NHL betting record: 199-185

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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