The Pittsburgh Penguins get to return to the friendly confines of PPG Paints Arena when they host the Washington Capitals tonight in Game 3 of their second-round series. The Penguins have been a juggernaut at home, winning 19 of the last 24 games and averaging four goals per game in these playoffs. They’ll try to break the Capitals’ hearts for a third straight year and opened at -145 to take the edge in the series.
NHL TRENDS
- The Penguins are 9-0 SU in their last nine games after a loss.
- Pittsburgh is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games.
- The UNDER has hit in four of Washington’s last six games.
The Penguins may feel like they got hosed in Game 2 due to some questionable goal calls but Washington deserves credit for making one of the NHL’s best offenses have to work for its goals. After being limited to only four goals through two games, the Pens may need a jolt offensively in the form of Evgeni Malkin. The Russian center has missed the last three games due to a lower-body injury and his presence could help revitalize a power play that has gone 0-for-5 through two games in this series.
On the flip side, the Capitals are looking to finally slay the playoff beast known as the Penguins and if they plan to do that, they have to knock off Pittsburgh at home. That could be easier said than done as Washington is 3-8 SU (including playoffs) in its last 11 trips to Pittsburgh. If the Caps want any shot to advance, they’ll need to continue the recipe that got them past Columbus and outshoot their opponent as the Caps are second in the playoffs in shot differential and have won eight straight road games as a result.
In the goaltending department, it’s been fairly even between Matt Murray and Braden Holtby in these playoffs with Holtby having the edge in goals-against average at 1.95 to Murray’s 2.29 in eight games each. Bettors should expect both of these netminders to stand tall and when these teams have faced each other, the UNDER has hit in six of the last seven games with an average combined score of 5.29 goals per game.