Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals NHL Picks & Predictions 12/19/2018

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Capital One Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Capital One Arena to play the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, December 19, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Penguins at +127 and the Capitals at -140.

Pittsburgh has a record of 15-12-6 this season. They are 4th in the Metropolitan Division. They have scored 112 goals and given up 108 goals for a point differential of +4. For the season they have an ATS record of 15-17-0 and an over/under record of 15-13-0. Washington has a record of 20-9-3 this year. They are 1st in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 122 goals and surrendered 100 for a goal differential of +22. Their record against the spread is 20-12-0 while their over/under record is 19-11-0.

Valuable Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 15-17-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 15-13-0 against the over/under this season

Important Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 20-12-0 straight up this year

The Washington Capitals are 19-11-0 against the over/under this season

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

12/12/18 RW Patric Hornqvist Upper Body IR (12/12)
12/07/18 LW Dominik Simon Lower Body is out indefinitely
10/15/18 D Justin Schultz Lower Body is out indefinitely

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

12/14/18 D Christian Djoos Lower Body is out indefinitely
11/09/18 D Brooks Orpik Lower Body is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Casey DeSmith has 10 wins and 6 losses this season in net for the Penguins. He has 659 shots against him and he's given up 51 goals. He's made 608 saves for a save percentage of 92%. Evgeni Malkin has accumulated 36 total points this season for the Penguins. He has 11 goals this year with 76 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 15%. He has a total of 25 assists on the season and averages 19 minutes played per game. Phil Kessel averages 18.6 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 15% by scoring 14 goals on 95 shots. He has 22 assists, giving him a total of 36 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Nicklas Backstrom has scored 40 total points this year for the Capitals. He has 10 goals this season with 64 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 16%. He has a total of 30 assists on the season and averages 20.5 minutes played per game. Braden Holtby has 13 wins and 7 losses this year in goal for the Capitals. He has 708 shots against him and he's surrendered 64 goals. He's made 644 saves for a save percentage of 91%. Alex Ovechkin averages 21.1 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 23% by scoring 29 goals on 129 shots. He has 14 assists, giving him a total of 43 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins have allowed 95 power play opportunities and have given up 17 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82% this year. That is 9th in the NHL. They average 33 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.42% for the season. They allow 33 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%, which is ranked 18th in the league. The Penguins have 36 total points this season, ranking 16th in the NHL in offense. They are 8th in the league with 112 goals while they've given up 108 goals, which is 9th overall. They have had 92 power play opportunities and scored 21 goals on those chances for a percentage of 23%. That is 11th in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Capitals are 2nd with 122 goals scored while they are 18th in the NHL with 100 goals allowed this year. They average 30 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 12.80%. They give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%, putting them in 14th place in the league. The Capitals have a total of 43 points this year, which is 7th in the NHL. They have 26 power play goals on 99 opportunities for a percentage of 26%. That ranks their power play unit 5th. They've allowed 117 power play opportunities and have given up 29 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 75%, which is 27th overall.

Advanced Statistics

Pittsburgh is 16th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 50.2%, as they've attempted 1,930 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,911 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 50.4% as they have 1,456 attempts while they have given up 1,434 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 14th in the league. The Penguins start possessions in the offensive zone 48.3% of the time, which is 24th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 51.7% for the season. That is 7th overall in the NHL. They have 1,003 face-off wins compared to 1,012 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.8%. That ranks them 18th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 1,008 hits and they have blocked 477 shots from the opposition, putting them 13th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Capitals are 19th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 49.2% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 50.8% for the season, which is 13th in the NHL. They have 917 face-off wins compared to 989 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.1%. That is 23rd in the league. On defense Washington has 695 hits and they have blocked 487 shots from the opposition, which is 12th in the league. Washington is 21st in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.9% as they've attempted 1,818 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,901 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 49% ranks 20th as they have 1,358 attempts while they have given up 1,414 shots on the defensive end.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Washington -140

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 Tony Sink