Saturday, April 29, 2017

Verizon Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Pittsburgh Penguins head to Verizon Center to play the Washington Capitals on Saturday, April 29, 2017 in Game 2 of their series. The Penguins lead the series 1-0. The opening line for this game has the Penguins at +129 and the Capitals at -143.

Pittsburgh had a regular season record of 50-21-11 and on the road they had a record of 19-15-7. They finished the season 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 282 goals and given up 234 goals for a point differential of +48. For the season they have an ATS record of 46-31 and an over/under record of 47-30-5. Washington finished the regular season with a record of 55-19-8 including 32-7-2 at home this year. They were 1st in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 263 goals and surrendered 182 for a goal differential of +81. Their record against the spread is 53-26 while their over/under record sits at 36-32-14.

Our handicappers are experts on NHL betting. Check out our NHL betting tips.

Valuable Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 46-31 straight up

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 47-30-5 against the over/under

Important Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 53-26 straight up

The Washington Capitals are 36-32-14 against the over/under

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

04/27/17 GO Matt Murray Lower Body "?" Saturday vs. Washington
04/27/17 D Chad Ruhwedel Upper Body "?" Saturday vs. Washington
04/05/17 D Kris Letang Upper Body out for season
03/12/17 LW Carl Hagelin Lower Body out indefinitely

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

04/27/17 D Karl Alzner Upper Body "?" Saturday vs. Pittsburgh

Player Spotlight

Sidney Crosby has accumulated 89 total points this season for the Penguins. He has 44 goals this season with 255 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 17%. He has a total of 45 assists on the season and averages 19.9 minutes played per game. Evgeni Malkin has averaged 18.6 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 17% by scoring 33 goals on 191 shots. He has 39 assists giving him a total of 72 points on the season. Matthew Murray has 32 wins and 10 losses this season in net for the Penguins. He has had 1,450 shots against him and has given up 111 goals. He has made 1,339 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Marcus Johansson has accumulated 58 total points this season for the Capitals. He has 24 goals this season with 129 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 19%. He has a total of 34 assists on the season and averages 17 minutes played per game. Alex Ovechkin has averaged 18.4 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 11% by scoring 33 goals on 313 shots. He has 36 assists giving him a total of 69 points on the season. Braden Holtby has 42 wins and 13 losses this season in net for the Capitals. He has had 1,690 shots against him and has given up 127 goals. He has made 1,563 saves for a save percentage of 93%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins have 111 total points this season. They have scored 282 goals while giving up 234 goals. They have had 260 power play opportunities and have scored 60 goals on those chances for a percentage of 23%. The Penguins have allowed 257 power play opportunities and given up 52 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80%. They average 33 shots per game and as a team are shooting 10.27% for the season to this point. They allow 33 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Capitals have a total of 118 points on the season. They have 57 power play goals on 248 opportunities thus far for a percentage of 23%. They have allowed 272 power play opportunities and have given up 44 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%. As a team, the Penguins have a total of 263 goals scored while they've given up 182 goals to this point. They average 30 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 10.54%. As a team they give up 28 shots per game and have a save percentage of 92%.

Advanced Statistics

Pittsburgh has a Corsi percentage of 49.8% as they've attempted 4,814 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 4,855 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is at 50.7% as they have 3,648 attempts while they've given up 3,548 shots on the defensive end. The Penguins start possessions in the offensive zone 53.4% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 46.6% for the season. They have 2,452 face off wins compared to 2,702 losses, meaning their faceoff win percentage is 47.6%. On defense Pittsburgh has 2,060 hits and they've blocked 1,307 shots from the opposition.

Advanced Statistics

Washington has attempted 4,635 shots at full strength and they've given up 4,377 attempts, meaning their Corsi percentage is at 51.4% for the season. In terms of Fenwick percentage, they currently are at 51.6% as they have 3,487 shots while they've given up 3,275 attempts on defense. The Capitals have an offensive zone percentage of 52% and their defensive zone percentage is 48% so far this season. They have a faceoff win percentage of 49.8% as they've compiled 2,385 face off wins this season and they have suffered 2,400 face off losses. On defense Washington has blocked 1,102 shot attempts and they have 1,727 hits as a unit.

Who will win tonight's Penguins/Capitals NHL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take Pittsburgh +129

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn