Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Picks, Odds, Predictions 2/25/21
The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals meet in NHL action from Capital One Arena on Thursday night.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will look to build on their 3-2 win over the Caps in their last outing. Bryan Rust, Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby all have 15 points with each logging 6 goals and 9 assists while Evgeni Malkin and Teddy Blueger each have 11 points with Malkin putting up 4 goals and 7 assists and Blueger has 3 goals with 8 assists. Kris Letang has 10 points with 8 assists as well this season for the Penguins. Tristan Jarry has a 6-6 mark with a 3.18 GAA while Casey DeSmith has 4 wins and a 2.84 GAA in 6 appearances this season.
The Washington Capitals will look to bounce back after their disappointing loss to the Pens last time out. Nicklas Backstrom has 22 points with 8 goals and 14 assists while Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson each have 15 points with Ovechkin logging 6 goals and 9 assists while Carlson has 5 goals and 10 assists. Tom Wilson has 13 points with 6 goals and 7 assists while T.J. Oshie has 12 points with 4 goals and 8 assists. Jakub Vrana has 11 points with 5 goals and 6 assists as well for the Caps this season. Vitek Vanacek continues to start games in goal for Washington, going 7-6 with a 2.92 GAA this season.
Pittsburgh is 5-1 in their last 6 games overall and 3-7 in their last 10 games against a team with a winning record while the under is 4-0 in their last 4 games overall. Washington is 5-2 in their last 7 games playing on one day’s rest while the under is 4-1 in their last 5 games overall. The over is 7-2 in the last 9 meetings between these two teams.
I went back and forth on this game as it’s still one of the premier rivalries in all of the NHL, but with that said, I’m still leaning towards Washington here simply because I’m standing firm on the ideology that Pittsburgh’s declining and on their way out of the elite groups in the NHL while the Capitals are still thriving with Alex Ovechkin leading the charge. Add in the fact that the line is about even, and I think you have to lean Washington’s way here.
Responses