Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Picks & Predictions 10/4/2018

Thursday, October 4, 2018

PPG Paints Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Washington Capitals travel to PPG Paints Arena to play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, October 4, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Capitals at -167 and the Penguins at -182.

Washington had a record of 49-26-7 last season and on the road they had a record of 21-15-5-1. They finished 1st in the Metropolitan Division. They scored 259 goals and gave up 239 goals for a point differential of +20. For the season they had an ATS record of 64-41-0 and an over/under record of 55-45-0. Pittsburgh finished with a record of 47-29-6 including 18-8-2-0 at home last season. They were 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. They scored 272 goals and surrendered 250 for a goal differential of +22. Their record against the spread was 53-41-0 while their over/under record was 51-38-0.

Valuable Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals were 64-41-0 straight up last year

The Washington Capitals were 55-45-0 against the over/under last season

Important Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins were 53-41-0 straight up last year

The Pittsburgh Penguins were 51-38-0 against the over/under last season

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

10/01/18 D Michal Kempny Upper Body is questionable Wednesday vs Boston

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

10/01/18 GO Tristan Jarry Lower Body is questionable Thursday vs Washington
10/01/18 D Brian Dumoulin Upper Body is questionable Thursday vs Washington

Player Spotlight

John Carlson accumulated 68 total points last season for the Capitals. He had 15 goals last year with 237 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 6%. He had a total of 53 assists on the season and averaged 24.8 minutes played per game. Nicklas Backstrom averaged 19.7 minutes of ice time per game last year. In that time he had a shooting percentage of 13% by scoring 21 goals on 165 shots. He had 50 assists giving him a total of 71 points on the season. Braden Holtby had 34 wins and 16 losses last season in net for the Capitals. He had 1,648 shots against him and he gave up 153 goals. He made 1,495 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Sidney Crosby scored 89 total points last year for the Penguins. He had 29 goals last season with 247 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He had a total of 60 assists on the season and averaged 20.7 minutes played per game. Phil Kessel averaged 18.7 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he had a shooting percentage of 13% by scoring 34 goals on 261 shots. He had 58 assists giving him a total of 92 points on the season. Matt Murray had 27 wins and 16 losses last year in goal for the Penguins. He had 1,423 shots against him and he surrendered 133 goals. He made 1,290 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Capitals had 105 total points last season, which ranked them 7th in the NHL. They were 9th in the league in goals scored with 259 while they gave up 239 goals, ranking them 17th overall. They had 244 power play opportunities and scored 55 goals on those chances for a percentage of 23%. That was 7th in the NHL. The Capitals allowed 269 power play opportunities and gave up 53 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80%, putting them 15th in the league when short-handed. They averaged 29 shots per game and as a team shot 10.89% for the season. They allowed 32 shots to their opposition per contest and had a team save percentage of 91%. That put them 13th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins were 10th in the NHL with a total of 100 points last year. They had 68 power play goals on 260 opportunities for a percentage of 26%. That ranked them 1st in the league as a power play unit. They allowed 265 power play opportunities and gave up 53 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80%. That was 17th in the NHL. As a team, the Penguins were 4th in the league with 272 goals scored while they gave up 250 goals, which was 12th overall. They averaged 34 shots per contest and had a team shooting percentage of 9.64%. As a team they gave up 31 shots per game and had a save percentage of 90%. That was 25th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Washington was 27th in the league in Corsi percentage last season with 47.4%, as they tried 4,479 shots on net at full strength while giving up 4,980 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage was 47.3% as they had 3,381 attempts while they gave up 3,760 shots on the defensive end. That ranked them 28th in the NHL. The Capitals started possessions in the offensive zone 49.7% of the time, which was 20th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage was at 50.3% for the season. That was 13th overall in the NHL. They had 2,467 face-off wins compared to 2,427 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage was 50.4%. That ranked them 13th in the league. On defense Washington had 1,784 hits and they blocked 1,220 shots from the opposition, putting them 14th overall.

Advanced Statistics

Pittsburgh was 5th in the league in Corsi percentage last season with 51.7%, as they tried 4,944 shots on net at full strength while giving up 4,628 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage was 52.4% as they had 3,793 attempts while they gave up 3,444 shots on the defensive end. That ranked them 5th in the NHL. The Penguins started possessions in the offensive zone 53.3% of the time, which was 4th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage was at 46.7% for the season. That was 28th overall in the NHL. They had 2,571 face-off wins compared to 2,546 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage was 50.2%. That ranked them 15th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh had 1,951 hits and they blocked 1,184 shots from the opposition, putting them 20th overall.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Pittsburgh -182

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