Pittsburgh Penguins vs Washington Capitals 2/1/22 NHL Picks, Predictions, Odds
Washington Capitals (24-12-9) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (27-11-7)
February 1, 2022 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Pittsburgh Penguins -161 / Washington Capitals +140; Over/Under: -5.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins meet Tuesday in NHL action at the PPG Paints Arena. The Washington Capitals look for a win after splitting their last eight games. The Pittsburgh Penguins look to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Washington Capitals are averaging 3.1 goals per game and are scoring on 13.8 percent of their power play opportunities. Alex Ovechkin leads Washington with 29 goals, Evgeny Kuznetsov has 30 assists and John Carlson has 98 shots on goal. Defensively, the Washington Capitals are allowing 2.7 goals per game and are killing 80.9 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Vitek Vanecek has given up 51 goals on 608 shots faced, and IIya Samsonov has allowed 58 goals on 595 shots.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are averaging 3.3 goals per game and are scoring on 19.7 percent of their power play opportunities. Jake Guentzel leads Pittsburgh with 23 goals, Kris Letang has 35 assists and Evan Rodriguez has 141 shots on goal. Defensively, the Pittsburgh Penguins are allowing 2.5 goals per game and are killing 87.9 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Tristan Jarry has allowed 77 goals on 1,026 shots faced, and Casey DeSmith has allowed 30 goals on 277 shots.
The Capitals are 0-4 in their last 4 games following a win and 5-2 in their last 7 Tuesday games. The Penguins are 181-87 in their last 268 home games and 22-8 in their last 30 overall. The under is 4-0 in Capitals last 4 overall. The over is 10-3-1 in Penguins last 14 vs. Metropolitan. The Capitals are 2-5 in the last 7 meetings in Pittsburgh and 3-7 in the last 10 meetings.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are the better team here, and they’ve beaten up on the Penguins over the years, so I can understand why they’re favored, especially at home. However, the Penguins are coming off a rough week and the Capitals are quietly showing signs of getting their act together. This is a rivalry where plus money holds value. Give me the Caps and the more favorable price.
