The Pittsburgh Penguins conclude their three-game homestand with a divisional matchup against the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena.
The Penguins came out of the break hot with three straight wins to improve to 7-1-1 in their last nine games. Meanwhile, the Capitals have lost their three games since the break to extend their losing streak to four and enter tonight as underdogs on the NHL odds.
Can the Penguins take down their Metropolitan Division rival? Read on for our Capitals vs. Penguins NHL picks and predictions.
Capitals vs Penguins odds
Capitals vs Penguins predictions
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals are two teams trying to hang onto relevance in a tough Metropolitan Division.
The Penguins started the season poorly but have put it together recently.
"We needed a strong (finish to) December," said Lars Eller, who will be facing his former team tonight. "I felt like we had it in us. We needed to tighten up (a few) holes in our game. Now, it feels like we're finding our game as a team, our identity as a team."
On the other hand, the Capitals have been faltering a bit as of late after an unexpectedly strong start to the year. The Caps were just 5-5-4 in December after going 12-6-2 through the first two months of the season.
Washington has had trouble putting the puck in the net all season long. The Caps average 2.29 goals per game, the second-fewest in the league, and have scored two goals or fewer in 16 of their 34 games.
Meanwhile, the Penguins are one of the best defensive teams in the league, giving up just 2.63 goals per game (seventh-best). They already have six shutout wins this season, including 4-0 against the Capitals in the season opener, and allowed two goals or fewer in 16 of their 35 games.
Both of these teams have trended heavily to the Under so far this season. The Under is 20-12-3 in Penguins games and 22-11-1 in Capitals games.
There have been six goals or fewer in eight straight games for Washington and 10 of its past 11 contests with a total of 54 goals in that span (4.9 per game).
My best bet: Under 6 (-118 via DraftKings)
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Capitals vs Penguins same-game parlay
Under 6.5
Under 1.5 first period
Penguins moneyline
Stepped-Up SGP boost available
The Pittsburgh Penguins are flying high recently while the Washington Capitals are struggling. We’re going to bank on that continuing for our same-game parlay tonight.
Our best bet is Under 6 and we’re going to get some push insurance by taking Under 6.5 for the parlay. This could very well be a 4-2 or 5-1 game.
After that, we’re going to take Under 1.5 goals in the first period.
The Capitals (24) and Penguins (27) have scored the third- and fourth-fewest first-period goals this season. They've also done well defensively with Pittsburgh allowing 27 goals as well (sixth-fewest) and Washington in the middle of the pack with 32 goals allowed.
Finally, we’re going to take the Penguins to win as home favorites.
They're red-hot and much better at home (10-5-1) than on the road (8-7-3) this season. The same goes for the Capitals, who are 8-7-2 on the road as opposed to 9-4-4 at home.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Capitals vs Penguins moneyline and Over/Under analysis
The Pittsburgh Penguins opened at around -175 but are as high as -185 favorites now. In turn, the Washington Capitals are up to +150 after opening at +145.
There is some variance in the total between 5.5 and six. You can get Over 5.5 (-130) and Under 5.5 (+105) at Fanduel with the Over 6 (+100) and Under 6 (-118) available elsewhere.
Capitals vs Penguins betting trend to know
The Pittsburgh Penguins have hit the Game Total Under in 45 of their last 81 games (+11.15 Units / 13% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Capitals vs. Penguins.
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Capitals vs Penguins game info
| Location: | PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA |
| Date: | Tuesday, January 2, 2024 |
| Puck drop: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | HULU |
Capitals vs Penguins latest injuries
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