Defending Champs Face Tough Caps Team
The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center on Thursday to open their Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup in the NHL Playoffs. The top two teams left in the postseason are meeting in the conference semis for the second straight year. Pittsburgh defeated top-seeded Washington in six games in last year. They went on to capture the fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history. Oddsmakers opened the Capitals as -140-moneyline favorites versus the Penguins, while the game’s total opened at 5.5. The Penguins are 8-1 in playoff series vs. the Capitals, and have won both meetings during the Sidney Crosby-Alex Ovechkin era. The Penguins finished second behind the Capitals in the Metropolitan Division this season. They went 50-21-11 with 111 points. The Pens ousted the Columbus Blue Jackets in five games in the first round. Washington went 55-19-8 with 118 points during the regular season. They bested the Toronto Maple Leafs in six.NHL Playoffs Betting Trends
| Pittsburgh Penguins | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games | ||
| Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games | ||
| Pittsburgh is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road | ||
| The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games on the road | ||
| Pittsburgh is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Washington | ||
| Pittsburgh is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Washington | ||
| The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games when playing Washington | ||
| Pittsburgh is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington | ||
| The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington | ||
Washington Capitals |
||
|---|---|---|
| Washington is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games | ||
| Washington is 14-4 SU in its last 18 games | ||
| The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Washington’s last 10 games | ||
| Washington is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home | ||
| Washington is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games at home | ||
| The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington’s last 7 games at home | ||
| Washington is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh | ||
| Washington is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Pittsburgh | ||
| The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington’s last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh | ||
| Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh | ||
| The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington’s last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh | ||