Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction, 1/17/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Date: Sunday, January 17, 2021

Location: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: NBC

Odds/Point Spread: Capitals (-105) Penguins (-115)

Ilya Samsonov and the Washington Capitals are headed to PPG Paints Arena on Sunday where they'll meet the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Capitals open this game at -105 while the Penguins are coming in at -115. The O/U is set at 6.

The Capitals were on the right side of the scoreboard with a 2 - 1 victory over the Sabres the last time they stepped on the ice. The Capitals offense left a lot to be desired in this win. While out there on the ice, they earned a goal on 2 out of the 21 shots they put on goal. They also had 0 power play opportunities but weren't able to score. Washington earned a total of 10 penalty mins while out there on the ice. The Corsi for the Capitals sat at 35 and the Corsi against was 39 which earned them a Corsi percentage of 47.3%. Their Fenwick sat at 27 and the Fenwick against sat at 32, which means they had a Fenwick percentage of 45.8%. They won 19 face-off wins at even strength and were beaten on 23 of the face-offs. Their starts in the offensive zone came in at 53.8% and they had a PDO of 105.4 for this one. In discussing stats from the opponent, the Buffalo Sabres earned a total of 31 shots. They finished with a total of 2 penalty mins and they tallied 5 power play chances.

Looking after the goal for Washington is Ilya Samsonov from Magnitogorsk, Russian Federation. He is 22 years old and played a total of 1,411 minutes in goal last year. Samsonovallowed an average of 2.55 goals per game which had him sitting 8th among East goalies and 13th among goalies in the NHL. Over the course of last year, he surrendered 60 goals. He had a save % of .913 which had him sitting 14th among East goalies. Thus far in the season, the Capitals have converted a total of 8 goals which has them at 5th in the Eastern Conference and 7th in the league. Their goal differential is +3, which puts them at 7th in the league. The Capitals have compiled a total of 4 pts, which has them at 4th in the league and 3rd in the Eastern Conference. In discussing shots at the opposition, they have compiled a total of 49 which has them at 6th in the conference and 12th in the league. As a unit, Washington has racked up a total of 45 hits which has them averaging 22.5 per contest. They have compiled a total of 16 blocks for the season.

The Penguins squared up with the Flyers in an outing where the Penguins were on the wrong end of the score by a mark of 5 - 2. Pittsburgh went home with a 58.3% Corsi rating. They earned that percentage by having a Corsi of 35 and they conceded a Corsi of 25. Their Fenwick percentage came in at 66.0% by way of having a Fenwick of 31 and the Flyers having a 16 Fenwick. This Corsi rating is telling of the kind of game that Pittsburgh played and you could say that they have had better days on the ice. Their PDO at even strength was 73.6 and they earned an oZS percentage of 51.1%. The Penguins notched 2 goals of the 33 shots on goal they attempted. They had 5 power play chances in this game and were able to notch 1 out of those opportunities. In discussing their opponent, the Flyers had 6 power play chances and took advantage of the situation by scoring 1 goal. Pittsburgh allowed 20 shots on goal and the Flyers racked up a total of 10 penalty minutes.

In net for Pittsburgh is Tristan Jarry who had a marginal season by giving up 2.43 goals per contest and that placed him 6th in the East and 10th in the NHL among goaltenders. In the 1,926 mins he was on the ice last year, he allowed 78 goals. He held a save % of .921, which had him sitting 5th in the East and 10th in the NHL among goaltenders. With regard to goal differential, the Penguins sit 16th in the East and 30th in the league with -6. They have earned a total of 5 goals for this year which has them ranked at 8th in the conference. Pittsburgh has a team save % of .756 which has them sitting 31st in the league, which tells us there could be plenty of chances to score if they are aggressive. They have a shooting percentage of 7.5% which puts them at 11th in the Eastern Conference.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Washington (-105)

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