Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction, NHL Odds
There’s not much at stake for either team on Thursday in Pittsburgh. The Pens, who have been off since a 4-1 loss in Boston on Sunday, have been eliminated from the playoffs for weeks. The Caps downed the Isles 3-1 on Tuesday and have already locked up top seed in the Eastern Conference as they get set to face either Montreal in the first round of the playoffs.
Washington opened as a -132 favourite to win on the NHL odds, with the total set at 6.5.
Capitals vs. Penguins NHL Betting Odds
The Capitals have taken two of three head-to-heads this season, with Pittsburgh’s lone win coming back in early November. Washington torched the Penguins for 12 total goals in their two victories, including eight when they last met in late February.
The Capitals have fared surprisingly well in Pittsburgh, winning six of their last seven trips to PPG Paints Arena. However, they’ll be facing a Pens squad that has won six of their last eight home dates.
While Pittsburgh is roughly even against the spread, Washington has impressed at 46-35 ATS. The Caps are also 24-16 ATS on the road this season, while the Pens are 19-21 ATS at home.
When it comes to totals betting, these teams have hit the Over just once in the last five head-to-heads. It’s worth noting, however, that the Capitals have hit the Over in seven of their last 10 games overall and the Penguins have finished above the number in seven of their last eight games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
Washington Capitals
There’s absolutely nothing for Washington to play for in this game, so don’t expect the big dogs to get much ice time. The worst case scenario happened to Dallas last night with Jason Robertson suffering a knee injury in a meaningless game before the playoffs, which is something you can be sure the Capitals took note of. Nic Dowd might be someone to circle for player props. Dowd is fresh off signing a two-year contract extension and he should see a boost in ice time with players like Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome either taking the night off entirely or playing limited minutes.
Charlie Lindgren has received the bulk of starts since Logan Thompson went down with an upper-body injury earlier in the month, but Washington is giving Clay Stevenson his first career NHL start on Thursday. Over 33 appearances with the AHL’s Hersey Bears this season, the undrafted 26-year-old is 18-8-4 with a 2.94 goals-against average and .888 save percentage.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins are playing strictly for pride at this point, but I would expect them to dress their full lineup with no playoff games on the horizon. I’ve got Sidney Crosby circled on my player props card. Crosby continues to defy Father Time with 89 points (32G, 57A) in 79 games and he loves to produce against Washington. Unfortunately, defenceman Kris Letang is done for the season. Letang just underwent a surgery to repair a small hole in his heart and the estimated recovery timeline is four-to-six weeks.
Alex Nedeljkovic will start in net for Pittsburgh on Thursday. Nedeljkovic hasn’t played since turning aside 28 of 30 shots faced in a 3-1 loss to Chicago on April 6. In 37 appearances this season, the 29-year-old is 13-15-5 with a 3.16 GAA and .894 SV.
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