Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Picks & Predictions 2/2/2018

Friday, February 2, 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 Friday, February 2, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Capitals at +132 and the Penguins at -146.

Washington has a record of 30-15-5 this season and on the road they have a record of 11-8-4-1. They are 1st in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 155 goals and given up 141 goals for a point differential of +14. For the season they have an ATS record of 30-20-0 and an over/under record of 28-22-0. Pittsburgh is 28-21-3 including 18-7-1-0 at home this season. They are 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 156 goals and surrendered 155 for a goal differential of +1. Their record against the spread is 28-24-0 while their over/under record is 26-24-0.

Valuable Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 30-20-0 straight up this year

The Washington Capitals are 28-22-0 against the over/under this season

Important Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 28-24-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 26-24-0 against the over/under this season

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

No key injuries to report

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

02/01/18 LW Conor Sheary Lower Body is "?" Friday vs Washington
01/30/18 D Matt Hunwick Upper Body is "?" Friday vs Washington
01/04/18 RW Carter Rowney Upper Body IR (01/02)

Player Spotlight

Nicklas Backstrom has accumulated 38 total points this season for the Capitals. He has 10 goals this year with 92 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 28 assists on the season and averages 19.8 minutes played per game. Alex Ovechkin averages 19.9 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 14% by scoring 30 goals on 210 shots. He has 23 assists, giving him a total of 53 points on the season. Braden Holtby has 26 wins and 9 losses this season in net for the Capitals. He has 1,147 shots against him and he's given up 96 goals. He's made 1,051 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Sidney Crosby has scored 56 total points this year for the Penguins. He has 17 goals this season with 145 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 39 assists on the season and averages 20.8 minutes played per game. Phil Kessel averages 18.6 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 11% by scoring 21 goals on 184 shots. He has 38 assists, giving him a total of 59 points on the season. Matthew Murray has 16 wins and 12 losses this year in goal for the Penguins. He has 889 shots against him and he's surrendered 84 goals. He's made 805 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Capitals have 65 total points this season, which ranks them 7th in the NHL. They are 10th in the league in goals scored with 155 while they've given up 141 goals, ranking them 19th overall. They have had 158 power play opportunities and have scored 33 goals on those chances for a percentage of 21%. That is 8th in the NHL. The Capitals have allowed 168 power play opportunities and have given up 33 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80%, putting them 18th in the league when short-handed. They average 29 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.71% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 15th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins are 14th in the NHL with a total of 59 points this year. They have 48 power play goals on 180 opportunities for a percentage of 27%. That ranks them 1st in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 180 power play opportunities and have given up 32 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82%. That is 11th in the NHL. As a team, the Penguins are 8th in the league with 156 goals scored while they've given up 155 goals, which is 10th overall. They average 35 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.69%. As a team they give up 31 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%. That is 23rd in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Washington is 29th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.2%, as they've attempted 2,808 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,017 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 47.2% as they have 2,060 attempts while they have given up 2,309 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 31st in the league. The Capitals start possessions in the offensive zone 50.3% of the time, which is 20th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 49.7% for the season. That is 14th overall in the NHL. They have 1,504 face-off wins compared to 1,469 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.6%. That ranks them 15th in the league. On defense Washington has 1,122 hits and they have blocked 708 shots from the opposition, putting them 23rd overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Penguins start possessions in the offensive zone 52.1% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 47.9% for the year. That ranks them 10th and 24th respectively in the NHL. They have 1,652 face-off wins as opposed to 1,597 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.8%. That is 13th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 1,274 hits and they've blocked 762 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 12th in blocked shots. Pittsburgh is ranked 6th in Corsi percentage with 51.9% as they've tried 3,173 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 2,938 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage is 3rd in the NHL at 52.8%, as they have 2,430 shots while they've given up 2,176 attempts on defense.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Pittsburgh -146

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