The Pittsburgh Penguins (7-5-1) look to sweep a two-game set against the Washington Capitals (6-4-3) at PPG Paints Arena Tuesday. Pittsburgh won Sunday’s contest by a 6-3 count. Tuesday’s puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Capitals-Penguins NHL odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Two of Pittsburgh’s six goals Sunday were of the empty-net variety inside the final 63 seconds. Capitals C Evgeny Kuznetsov opened the scoring 5:18 into the first period in his return to the lineup from the NHL’s COVID-19 list but the Penguins scored four of the next five goals.
The Penguins moved to 3-0 against the Caps for the season but Sunday’s game was the first to be decided in regulation. The East Division rivals will reunite next week for another two-game set in Washington.
Capitals at Penguins: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:20 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Capitals +110 (bet $100 to win $110) | Penguins -130 (bet $130 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Capitals +1.5 (-250) | Penguins -1.5 (+195)
- Over/Under: 6.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)
Capitals at Penguins: Projected starting goalies
Vitek Vanecek (5-3-2, .901 SV%, 3.26 GAA) vs. Tristan Jarry (3-4-1, .864 SV%, 3.82 GAA)
Vanecek’s expected to remain in net with Ilya Samsonov not yet ready to return to action after being cleared from the COVID protocols. He allowed 4 goals on 36 shots in Sunday’s loss to the Pens and has given up a total of 9 goals on 66 shots in two games against Pittsburgh.
Jarry’s coming off one of his top performances of the season with 28 saves on 31 shots in Sunday’s win. It snapped a personal three-game losing skid. Backup Casey DeSmith missed Sunday’s game and remains questionable for Tuesday due to a non-COVID illness.
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Capitals at Penguins: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Capitals 4, Penguins 2
Money line (ML)
The CAPITALS (+110) registered 54.76% of the 5-on-5 scoring chances Sunday and should be backed for some correction Tuesday. Jarry’s coming off just his third win of the season and hasn’t won back-to-back since starting both games against the Caps in January.
Kuznetsov scored the opening goal Sunday and logged 18:24 of ice time. Look for his usage to increase in his second game back in the lineup.
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Against the spread (ATS)
PASS on the puck line with Sunday’s result of two empty-net goals for the Penguins serving as fair warning of the risks with laying -250 for one goal of insurance in the event of a Capitals loss.
Washington has the league’s top power play at 35.48% and Pittsburgh is 28th by penalty-kill percentage at 70.73. This series should swing toward the Caps with an outright win.
Over/Under (O/U)
Lean to the UNDER 6.5 (+100) as the more profitable side of the projected goal total. Vanecek needs a strong performance to keep a hold on playing time once Samsonov returns to the lineup.
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