Washington Capitals (25-19-6) vs Pittsburgh Penguins (24-15-8)
Game Info: Thursday, January 26, 2023 at 7:00 pm (Capital One Arena)
Betting Odds: Washington Capitals -120 / Pittsburgh Penguins +100 --- Over/Under: 6.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Pittsburgh Penguins will play the Washington Capitals on Thursday night at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.
Penguins Preview
The Pittsburgh Penguins are 24-15-8 this season after they defeated the Florida Panthers in overtime by a score of 7-6 in their last game. Pittsburgh out shot Florida by a total of 49-39 and went 3-5 on the power play in the win. The Pittsburgh Penguins are averaging 3.28 goals per game, 3.06 goals against per game, 22.2% on the power play, and 81.2% on the penalty kill. Sidney Crosby has led the Penguins with 23 goals, 34 assists, and 129 shots on goal this season. The projected starting goalie for Pittsburgh is Casey DeSmith, who is 7-9-3 this season with a 3.34 goals against average and a .900 save percentage.
Capitals Preview
The Washington Capitals are 25-19-6 this season after they lost to the Colorado Avalanche by a score of 3-2 in their last game. Washington out shot Colorado by a total of 39-26 and went 0-2 on the power play in the loss. The Washington Capitals are averaging 3.16 goals per game, 2.80 goals against per game, 20.3% on the power play, and 81.6% on the penalty kill. Alex Ovechkin has led the Capitals with 31 goals, 22 assists, and 208 shots on goal this season. The projected starting goalie for Washington is Darcy Kuemper, who is 14-13-4 this season with a 2.57 goals against average and a .916 save percentage.
Trends
Pittsburgh is 10-4 in their last 14 Thursday games and 1-7 in their last 8 road games. The under is 6-2-3 in Pittsburgh’s last 11 road games. Washington is 2-5 in their last 7 games and 1-4 in their last 5 home games. The under is 3-0-1 in Washington’s last 4 home games. The over is 4-1 in these two teams last 5 head to head meetings.
Pick
Pittsburgh comes into this game after alternating wins and losses over their last five games, while Washington has lost three of their last four games. Washington has played pretty well at home this season and is 13-8-3 on home ice. The Capitals are banged up with Oshie and Backstrom day to day and I think Pittsburgh is the better team right now. I will take the Penguins on the road here.