The matchup everyone’s been waiting for all season is finally here. We haven’t necessarily been waiting for the Caps and Pens to meet in the second round, we just figured it would probably happen. Pittsburgh has beaten Washington in six straight playoff series and most are of the belief that if Alex Ovechkin wants to ever beat Sidney Crosby in the playoffs, this is the year he has to do it.
The road team is 0-8 SU in the last 8 games in this matchup.
Marc-Andre Fleury had an .884 save percentage and 4.02 GAA against the Caps in the regular season.
The Capitals are 22-4 SU in their last 26 games as home favorites.
Pittsburgh is averaging an NHL-high 4.2 goals per game in the 2017 postseason.
Bookmakers opened the Capitals as significant home faves in Game 1 and considering the trends, that makes sense. The home team has dominated this matchup of late and Washington was the premier home club in the NHL in the regular season, going 32-9 SU at the Verizon Center.
Some may look at Marc-Andre Fleury’s .933 save percentage in the first round and think that he’s back to being a reliable goaltender but that’s simply not the case. The Flower gave up too many goals on low-danger scoring chances against the Jackets and when you go from facing the likes of Brandon Dubinsky and Brandon Saad to Alexander Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie, the chances of conceding goals quickly escalates.
If the Pens are going to stick around in this series while Matt Murray heals up, they’ll have to score a ton of goals to make up for what they lack at the back end. I anticipate a high-scoring affair in Game 1 and I’ll be looking at an OVER 5.5.
The matchup everyone’s been waiting for all season is finally here. We haven’t necessarily been waiting for the Caps and Pens to meet in the second round, we just figured it would probably happen. Pittsburgh has beaten Washington in six straight playoff series and most are of the belief that if Alex Ovechkin wants to ever beat Sidney Crosby in the playoffs, this is the year he has to do it.
The road team is 0-8 SU in the last 8 games in this matchup.
Marc-Andre Fleury had an .884 save percentage and 4.02 GAA against the Caps in the regular season.
The Capitals are 22-4 SU in their last 26 games as home favorites.
Pittsburgh is averaging an NHL-high 4.2 goals per game in the 2017 postseason.
Bookmakers opened the Capitals as significant home faves in Game 1 and considering the trends, that makes sense. The home team has dominated this matchup of late and Washington was the premier home club in the NHL in the regular season, going 32-9 SU at the Verizon Center.
Some may look at Marc-Andre Fleury’s .933 save percentage in the first round and think that he’s back to being a reliable goaltender but that’s simply not the case. The Flower gave up too many goals on low-danger scoring chances against the Jackets and when you go from facing the likes of Brandon Dubinsky and Brandon Saad to Alexander Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie, the chances of conceding goals quickly escalates.
If the Pens are going to stick around in this series while Matt Murray heals up, they’ll have to score a ton of goals to make up for what they lack at the back end. I anticipate a high-scoring affair in Game 1 and I’ll be looking at an OVER 5.5.
If you choose to make use of any information on this website including online sports betting services from any websites that may be featured on this website, we strongly recommend that you carefully check your local laws before doing so. It is your sole responsibility to understand your local laws and observe them strictly. Covers does not provide any advice or guidance as to the legality of online sports betting or other online gambling activities within your jurisdiction and you are responsible for complying with laws that are applicable to you in your relevant locality. Covers disclaims all liability associated with your use of this website and use of any information contained on it. As a condition of using this website, you agree to hold the owner of this website harmless from any claims arising from your use of any services on any third party website that may be featured by Covers.