The Washington Capitals (51-21-9) travel to face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins (33-36-12) on Thursday, April 17th. This game will be played at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh and televised on ESPN. The Penguins are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Capitals are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Hurricanes. Puck drop is set for 7:00 ET.

Capitals vs Penguins

The Washington Capitals Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Washington’s 4-2 loss to the Hurricanes brought their record to 51-21-9. The Capitals were underdogs on the puck line, and the total was set at 6 goals, which ended up as a push.

After allowing the first goal, Washington responded with two goals in the first period, but the Hurricanes scored three unanswered goals to secure the win. The Capitals struggled defensively, giving up 44 shots in the game.

The Pittsburgh Penguins Are Coming Off A Win

Pittsburgh improved to 33-36-12 with a 3-1 win over the Canadiens. The Penguins covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, with the total of 4 goals falling short of the 6.5 goal line.

Sidney Crosby led the way with two goals, while Blake Lizotte added an empty-netter to seal the win. Pittsburgh’s defense kept Montreal scoreless until the third period.

Washington Offense Breakdown

Alex Ovechkin’s 7th goal of the season put the Capitals on the board with a power-play goal at 19:16 in the first period. Brandon Duhaime followed with his 2nd goal of the season just 33 seconds later, giving Washington a 2-1 lead heading into the second period.

The Capitals managed 21 shots on goal but were held scoreless in the second and third periods. They recorded 15 giveaways and picked up 3 assists in the game, with Nic Dowd earning his 2nd assist of the season and Dylan Strome notching his 13th assist on Ovechkin’s goal.

Penguins Offense Breakdown

Sidney Crosby found the net twice for the Penguins in their recent game against the Canadiens, bringing his goal tally to 4 and 5 this season. He scored Pittsburgh’s first goal at 4:03 in the first period, and later added a power-play goal at 1:20 in the second.

Blake Lizotte, with his second goal of the season, secured the Penguins’ third goal on an empty net with 45 seconds left in the game. Pittsburgh took 24 shots on goal and recorded 14 giveaways.

Washington Team Defense

Defensively, the Capitals will look to bounce back after giving up three non-empty-net goals in their previous game against the Hurricanes. They had taken a 2-1 lead into the first intermission, but they allowed two goals in the second period and one more in the third. Charlie Lindgren made 41 saves with a 93.2% save percentage, and the defense added 2 takeaways and 20 hits.

Pittsburgh Team Defense

Defensively, the Penguins will look to build on their previous performance, where they gave up just one goal to the Canadiens. Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves, posting a 96.2% save percentage. The defense also contributed 5 takeaways, 19 hits, and 19 blocks.

Capitals vs Penguins Trends

• Through their last ten road games, Washington has an puck line record of just 4-6. However, their overall record was 4-6 while averaging 2 goals per game.
• When looking at their past five home matchups, Pittsburgh has an puck line record of 3-2 while averaging 3 per game. The team went 3-2 overall in these games.
• Pittsburgh has done well both straight up and vs the puck line when favored to win the game, going 3-2 SU and 3-2 puck line in their last five games.
• In their last five games as the betting favorite, the Capitals have a straight up record of 2-3 and an puck line mark of 1-4.

Capitals vs Penguins Prediction

When it comes to a moneyline wager, I’m going with the Penguins to defeat the Capitals while playing at home. Given the current moneyline odds at -110, I’m placing a wager on the Penguins to win outright.

If you’re looking to get a bet down on this matchup, we foresee the Penguins winning the underdog. However, if you’re not as confident in the Penguins straight-up, we’d still recommend placing a bet on them to cover the puck line.

When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 6 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering on the over.

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.