Penguins vs Capitals Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Caps Can't Contain Crosby

The age-old rivalry between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin adds another chapter on tonight as the Pittsburgh Penguins travel down to D.C. to take on the Washington Capitals. The Penguins are slight favorites at -120 on the NHL odds board.

The Penguins opened their season with a disappointing loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. After taking a 2-0 lead, Pittsburgh allowed four unanswered goals in the defeat. Meanwhile, the Capitals have been chomping at the bit to get going, as this is their first game of the 2023-24 NHL season.

Can Crosby and the Penguins get the best of Ovechkin and the Capitals? Find out with our Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals NHL picks and predictions for October 13.

Penguins vs Capitals odds

Penguins vs Capitals predictions

The Penguins didn’t get the result they wanted in their season opener, but captain Sidney Crosby got off on the right foot with a goal in the loss. Crosby is on a mission after missing the playoffs for just the second time in his career.

“It's been a long one,” he said of the offseason. “There's been a lot of change, a lot of turnover. So, we've all been waiting, there’s anticipation just to get going. It's nice to be close here, and to finally be at that point.”

Crosby scored one goal on three shots (four shot attempts) at 5-on-5 play during Tuesday night’s loss. He generated three scoring chances, two of which were of the high-danger variety. “Sid the Kid” is still on his game at age 36 and has some decent NHL player props odds tonight.

The Capitals allowed over three goals per game last season (3.18), with the Penguins scoring a total of 10 goals in their three games against Washington. This is a Caps team that got worse defensively in the offseason, as they didn’t properly replace Dmitry Orlov, and their forward depth leaves a lot to be desired.

Crosby got off to a strong start last season with goals in each of his first two games and four of his first six games overall. After a long offseason, and with all eyes on Alex Ovechkin chasing Wayne Gretzky’s goal record on the other side, expect Crosby to get a lot of pucks on net in this one and at least one past Darcy Kuemper.

Further boosting this bet is that FanDuel US has a 100% profit boost on any bet today, increasing this play on Sid the Kid from +165 to +330! 

My best bet: Sidney Crosby to Score a Goal (+165 at FanDuel | +330 with 100% boost)

Penguins vs Capitals same-game parlay

Sidney Crosby to Score a Goal

Penguins moneyline

First Period Under 1.5

+750 at SIA

We’re kicking off the parlay with our best bet: Crosby to score. It’s the best bet for a reason, and Crosby will be a player to watch against the Capitals.

Crosby scoring correlates well with the Penguins winning. You have to score to win, obviously, and the Penguins should be able to pot at least a few goals against a rusty Capitals squad.

Parlaying Crosby to score and the Penguins to win gets us to +270. Adding in Under 1.5 goals in the first period gets us all the way up to +750.

The Capitals scored just 62 first-period goals last season — the sixth-fewest in the league — while the Penguins were slightly better at 69. Furthermore, there was a grand total of one first-period goal in the three meetings between these teams last season.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Penguins vs Capitals moneyline and Over/Under analysis

The Penguins opened at around -120 favorites, and there hasn’t been much movement there. Likewise, the Capitals remain at around even money after opening as high as +105.

The total for this contest is at the new normal in the NHL: 6.5. Both the Over and the Under are around -110 as of Friday morning.

Given the fact that this is the Capitals’ first game and the Penguins’ second, it’s not too surprising that the lines haven’t budged much. There has yet to be any real news out of either camp with both teams remaining healthy.

After a disappointing start on Tuesday night, I’m expecting the Penguins to go to work against a Capitals team that’ll be finding their legs. While Washington does have the advantage of home ice and a little bit of extra juice due to it being the home opener, you can’t replicate regular-season hockey. The Penguins have played 60 minutes already, while the Capitals will be finding their footing.

I like the Penguins quite a bit as -120 favorites on the road.

As for the total, I could see this going either way with the Over/Under set at 6.5. The Penguins only scored twice while conceding three goals (plus an empty-netter) against the Blackhawks. Meanwhile, the Capitals don’t exactly have a lot of firepower after Ovechkin and their top line.

I would go with the Over 6.5 if I had to pick a side but I would advise to stay away from the total tonight.

Penguins vs Capitals betting trend to know

The Capitals are 1-4 in their last five home games. Find more NHL betting trends for Penguins vs. Capitals.

Penguins vs Capitals game info

Penguins vs Capitals latest injuries

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