Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals Betting Preview

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— Friday, December 10th Pittsburgh Penguins @ Washington Capitals

Metropolitan Division rivals meet up on Friday night when the Washington Capitals host the Pittsburgh Penguins. These two teams have a long history of playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and this could be another playoff preview this season.

Pittsburgh comes into this game with 29 points on the year, which puts them in fourth place in the division. The Penguins have won two straight games, and that momentum can help them out in this battle on Friday.

Washington leads the Metropolitan with 38 points on the year, and they have been great since the season began. The Capitals have also won two straight games, with both of those victories coming on home ice.

The Washington Capitals are the betting favorites at -138 on the moneyline over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Penguins Killing Off Penalties

Pittsburgh has not been a great team on the power play, but they have been elite when it comes to killing off penalties. The Penguins have killed off nearly 92 percent of their penalties and that unit is going to have to dominate in this game.

Jake Guentzel leads the Penguins with 15 goals and 27 points on the year, but he is out with an injury on Friday night. Pittsburgh is a team scoring nearly three goals per game, and it’s going to take a big offensive effort on Friday.

Goaltender Tristan Jarry has been great for Pittsburgh this season, allowing less than two goals per game. Pittsburgh can take complete control if they limit the offense for the Capitals.

Capitals Continue to Score

The Washington Capitals are scoring 3.5 goals per game this season, and they just completely overwhelm opponents at times. Washington has struggled on the power play of late, but they just continue to attack teams at even strength.

Alex Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 20 goals and 21 assists on the year, and he has always been a tough player to shut down. The Penguins have plenty of experience in dealing with Ovechkin, and he is going to need some help from teammates.

Ilya Samsonov has been the best goaltender in the NHL this season as he has posted a record of 11-1-1. Samsonov can make things easy on his teammates by completely shutting down the Penguins.

Penguins Fly Past the Capitals

You can usually throw the records out when these two teams meet up because this is such a great rivalry. This game also usually features a ton of scoring, and that will likely be the case again on Friday night.

The Penguins are getting ready to wrap up this long and difficult road trip, and beating the Capitals would be a great way to end it. Look for Pittsburgh to be completely locked in Friday night as they stun the Capitals in Washington D.C.

The Capitals haven’t lost many times this season, but they won’t be able to keep up in this one. Bet the Pittsburgh Penguins -1.5 as they pour it on offensively to pick up an impressive win over the Washington Capitals.

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