Penguins vs Capitals Prediction
The Pittsburgh Penguins will play the Washington Capitals on Friday night at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. Pittsburgh is coming off of a loss in their first game, while this will be the opening game of the season for the Capitals.
Penguins Preview
The Pittsburgh Penguins are 0-1-0 this season after they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in their season opener by a score of 4-2. Pittsburgh opened the scoring in the first period and they doubled their lead to 2-0 in the second period, but they allowed four unanswered goals to the Blackhawks for the loss. Pittsburgh got goals from Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby in the game. The Penguins out shot Chicago by a total of 40-36 and they won 67.8% of the face-offs in the loss. Pittsburgh went 0-2 on the power play and they recorded 19 hits. Tristan Jarry made 31 saves on 34 shots and is the projected starting goalie for this game.
Capitals Preview
The Washington Capitals went 35-37-10 last season and finished with 80 points, which was 6th in the Metropolitan Division. Washington really struggled over the last couple of months to finish last season, where they lost 21 of their last 28 games. The Capitals scored 3.09 goals per game last year, which was 20th in the NHL, while they allowed 3.18 goals against per game, which was 19th in the NHL. Washington went 3-2-1 in the preseason, with wins over Detroit, Boston, and Columbus. The Capitals scored three goals or more in four of their six preseason games. Alex Ovechkin led the Capitals last year with 42 goals, 33 assists, and 294 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Washington is Darcy Kuemper, who went 22-26-7 last season with a 2.87 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.
Washington Capitals Team Facts
- The Capitals have lost eight of their last nine games.
- The road team has covered the puck line in seven of the last eight games between the Penguins and Capitals.
- The Capitals have lost the third period in six of their last seven games.
- The 'Over 1.5 Goals Period 2' market has hit in each of the Capitals' last nine home games against opponents on a losing streak.
Pittsburgh Penguins Team Facts
- The underdogs have won each of the Penguins' last three games.
- The Penguins have failed to cover the puck line in six of their last seven games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Penguins have won the first period in each of their last four games as favorites following a loss.
- The 'Over 1.5 Goals Period 3' market has hit in each of the Penguins' last 12 games against opponents on a losing streak.
Washington Capitals Player Prop Facts
- Tom Wilson has scored a goal in each of the Capitals' last four games as underdogs.
- Evgeny Kuznetsov has recorded at least one point in each of the Capitals' last nine Friday night games against Eastern Conference opponents.
- Nicklas Backstrom has recorded at least one assist in each of his last four appearances with his team as a home underdog against the Penguins.
Pittsburgh Penguins Player Prop Facts
- Reilly Smith has scored a goal in three of his last four appearances at Capital One Arena.
- Jake Guentzel has recorded at least one point in each of the Penguins' last six games as favorites against the Capitals.
- Rickard Rakell has recorded an assist in four of his last five appearances against the Capitals at Capital One Arena.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Pittsburgh Penguins ranks T1st in the league in short handed goals allowed this season (0).
- The Pittsburgh Penguins ranks T2nd in the league for opponent goals in Period 2 per game this season (1.00).
Pick
Washington had some struggles last season and ended up missing the postseason, but they will look to get back on the right track with a win to start this season. Pittsburgh was a pretty big favorite in their first game of the year, but that ended up being a home loss to the Blackhawks. The Capitals weren’t able to score consistently in the 2022-23 season, and both goalies are very solid in this matchup, so I like the under in this one.
