The Washington Capitals host the Pittsburgh Penguins, Wednesday Mar 24, as the Pens look for a rare road win in Washington. The Capitals won the first two games of the series. NHL oddsmakers at BETUS.com have the Capitals as -210 moneyline favs over the Penguins (+180) with the over/under set at 6.5 goals. Be sure to get your Pittsburgh Penguins vs Washington Capitals NHL Predictions in early at BETUS.com
The Penguins (42-25-5-1) have lost five of their last ten games and three of last five away from home. They are 21-15-2-0 on the road where they average 2.63 GAG and allow 2.97 GAG. They recently lost in Detroit 1-3 as Pascal Dupuis was their lone goal scorer. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is red hot lately after he stopped 30 of 33 shots; he is 5-5 in his last ten with a 2.70 GAA. Overall he’s 33-19-5 with a 2.66 GAA and a .906 SVPCT. Evgeni Malkin has missed three of the last four games since a wayward slap shot hit him 10 days ago. He should be a gametime or at least a gameday decision for Coach Dan Bylsma. The Pens have struggled of late with a 2-3-2 SU mark over their last seven games after coming out of the Olympic break with four straight wins. Pittsburgh has scored only 14 goals during its recent seven-game stretch. Crosby, who is tied with Ovechkin for the League lead in goals with 45, hasn't scored in five straight games and has just three since scoring the OT winner in the gold medal game at the Olympics. They have killed off 33 of the last 35 power plays its faced (94.3 percent) and 88 of its last 100 (88 percent).
The Capitals (48-14-6-4) are winners of seven of ten games and three of five on home ice. They are 26-4-2-2 at home where they average 3.91 GAG and allow 2.50 GAG. They recently won in Tampa 3-1 thanks to goals from Tomas Fleischmann, Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin. Goalie Jose Theodore stopped 33 of 34 shots and is 8-2 in his last ten with a 3.00 GAA . Overall he’s 26-7-6 with a 2.76 GAA and a .911 SVPCT. The Caps have wrapped up the Southeast Division title and they have a 16-point lead in the Eastern Conference, which gives them home ice throughout the Playoffs. With the Caps guaranteed a Playoff berth, the only thing for them to do is get in the mental state of the Playoffs . "They're building block games for us going into the playoffs," Mike Green told NHL.com. "We're not going to change anything here. We're not going to sit back. We're going to play the same way because it's worked all season and why wouldn't we?"
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Over is 14-2 in the last 16 meetings in Washington.
- Over is 35-17-1 in the last 53 meetings.
- Underdog is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
- Road team is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
- Capitals are 10-1 in their last 11 vs. Atlantic.
- Capitals are 6-1 in their last 7 vs. a team with a winning record.
- Capitals are 22-5 in their last 27 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Washington Capitals
When: Wednesday Mar 24, 2009 7:00 PM ET
Line: BETUS.com
Pick: Caps -210
Point-Spreads.com Pittsburgh Penguins vs Washington Capitals NHL Predictions
The Bottom Line: The Caps aren’t going down at home. Be sure to get your Pittsburgh Penguins vs Washington Capitals NHL Predictions in early at BETUS.com and receive up to 145% in Cash Bonuses and start winning today!
