The Washington Capitals (34-31-8) head to face the Pittsburgh Penguins (35-27-10) at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.Washington is coming off a 6-1 win over the Blackhawks on Thursday, breaking a three-game losing streak.
The Capitals committed five penalties in the game, though they held Chicago without a power play goal. Six players found the net for the Capitals. Darcy Kuemper saved an impressive 27 of 28 shots (.964%) in the win.
Pittsburgh fell 3-2 to the Stars on Thursday. Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Sidney Crosby both scored once for the Penguins. Casey DeSmith saved only 30 of 33 shots against (.909%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The teams have split their two meetings this season, the most recent of which was a 3-2 (SO) victory for the Capitals in January. Marcus Johansson scored Washington’s only goal. Bryan Rust scored Pittsburgh’s only goal. Kuemper got the win, saving 35 of 37 shots (.945%).
FACING OFF
Washington is averaging 3.16 goals per game for the season, 17th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Penguins team that is allowing 3.22 goals a game (18th).
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has found the net 3.19 times a game on average, 16th in the league, and the Capitals are allowing opponents to score 3.07 goals per game (13th).
Pittsburgh averages more shots per game (34.4) than most teams in the league, ranking fifth, though the team’s 9.3% shooting percentage is 27th. With an average of 31.5 attempts, Washington ranks 17th.
The Capitals’ 21.78% power play percentage ranks 14th in the league, while the Penguins are 15th with a conversion rate of 21.46%. When it comes to penalty killing, Washington has the league’s sixth-ranked PK% at 83.08%, while Pittsburgh is 15th at 79.39%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 71 points this season, Alex Ovechkin is the top skater for the Capitals. He is among the league leaders with 41 goals (7th) and has added 30 assists. In the net, Kuemper (21-22-5) is Washington’s top goaltender by goals against average.
He has a 2.74 GAA and a .911% save percentage. Crosby leads the Penguins in scoring with 85 points. He has 31 goals and 54 assists in 72 games. Tristan Jarry (21-10-6) has the best goals against average for Pittsburgh at 2.98. He has a save percentage of .908%.
HOME AND AWAY
Washington is 17-17-3 away from Capital One Arena this season. Pittsburgh is 19-11-5 at PPG Paints Arena this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Pittsburgh Penguins (-135)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
