Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Picks & Predictions 5/7/2018

Monday, May 7, 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 Monday, May 7, 2018 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Washington leads the series 3-2. The opening line for this game has the Capitals at +175 and the Penguins at -235.

Washington had a record of 49-26-7 this season and on the road they had a record of 21-15-5-1. They were 1st in the Metropolitan Division. They scored 259 goals and gave up 239 goals for a point differential of +20. For the season they have an ATS record of 56-37-0 and an over/under record of 52-39-0. Pittsburgh was 47-29-6 including 30-9-2-0 at home this season. They finished 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. They scored 272 goals and surrendered 250 for a goal differential of +22. Their record against the spread is 53-40-0 while their over/under record is 51-37-0.

Valuable Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 56-37-0 straight up this year

The Washington Capitals are 52-39-0 against the over/under this season

Important Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 53-40-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 51-37-0 against the over/under this season

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

05/06/18 C Nicklas Backstrom Upper Body is "?" Monday vs Pittsburgh
05/02/18 RW Tom Wilson Suspension 3 game suspension (eligible to return 5/9 for game 7)
04/23/18 LW Andre Burakovsky Upper Body is out indefinitely

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

05/02/18 C Zach Aston-Reese Jaw is out indefinitely
03/17/18 RW Carter Rowney Upper Body is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Alex Ovechkin has accumulated 87 total points this season for the Capitals. He has 49 goals this year with 355 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 14%. He has a total of 38 assists on the season and averages 20.1 minutes played per game. Evgeny Kuznetsov averages 18.8 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 14% by scoring 27 goals on 187 shots. He has 56 assists, giving him a total of 83 points on the season. Braden Holtby has 34 wins and 16 losses this season in net for the Capitals. He has 1,648 shots against him and he's given up 153 goals. He's made 1,495 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

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

Useful Team Statistics

The Capitals have 105 total points this season, which ranks them 7th in the NHL. They are 9th in the league in goals scored with 259 while they've given up 239 goals, ranking them 17th overall. They have had 244 power play opportunities and have scored 55 goals on those chances for a percentage of 23%. That is 7th in the NHL. The Capitals have allowed 269 power play opportunities and have given up 53 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80%, putting them 15th in the league when short-handed. They average 29 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.89% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 17th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

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

Advanced Statistics

Washington has a Corsi percentage of 47.4% as they've tried 4,479 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 4,980 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. That ranks them 31st in Corsi percentage. They are 31st in the NHL in Fenwick percentage with 47.3% as they have 3,381 shots while they've given up 3,760 attempts on defense. The Capitals start possessions in the offensive zone 49.7% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 50.3% for the year. That puts them 20th and 15th in the league in zone percentages respectively. They have 2,467 face-off wins as opposed to 2,427 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.4%. That is 18th overall in the NHL. On defense Washington has 1,784 hits and they've blocked 1,220 attempts from opposing offenses, which is 14th in the league.

Advanced Statistics

The Penguins start possessions in the offensive zone 53.3% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 46.7% for the year. That ranks them 8th and 26th respectively in the NHL. They have 2,571 face-off wins as opposed to 2,546 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.2%. That is 16th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 1,951 hits and they've blocked 1,184 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 20th in blocked shots. Pittsburgh is ranked 5th in Corsi percentage with 51.7% as they've tried 4,944 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 4,628 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage is 6th in the NHL at 52.4%, as they have 3,793 shots while they've given up 3,444 attempts on defense.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Washington +175

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