The top two teams in the East Division face off in NHL action Thursday night as the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Washington Capitals at 7 p.m. ET.
Oddsmakers are expecting a close contest with NHL betting lines opening with Washington as a slim -115 favorite before jumping the fence to favor Pittsburgh at -115.
Here are our best free Penguins vs Capitals picks and predictions for Thursday, April 29.
Penguins vs Capitals odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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NHL sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonTwinSpires posted this moneyline at a -108 pick 'em, and as of 4:15 p.m. ET, the book gives a modest edge to Pittsburgh at -118. The Penguins are taking 53 percent of tickets, but the Capitals are drawing 61 percent of cash on the moneyline. The total is stable at 5.5 (Over -122), with ticket count and money both running about 3/1 on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this gamePenguins at Capitals betting preview
Injuries
Penguins: Evgeni Malkin F (Out), Brandon Tanev LW (Questionable).
Capitals: Alexander Ovechkin LW (Questionable), John Carlson D (Out), Justin Schultz D (Out), Michal Kempny D (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 19-6-2 in the Capitals' last 27 games after scoring two goals or fewer in their previous contest. Find more NHL betting trends for Penguins vs. Capitals.
Moneyline pick
The Capitals have a one-point lead over the Penguins in the East Division with one game in hand. Washington is coming off a three-game sweep of the Islanders and is 23-8 in its last 31 games overall.
The Caps are second in the league in scoring with 3.43 goals per game and they've gotten better play in net recently with both Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek notching shutouts against the Isles.
They could certainly use top-notch goaltending tonight with superstar winger Alexander Ovechkin possibly out for the third game in a row after missing the morning skate. The Caps will also be missing All-Star John Carlson, who is third in the league among all blueliners with 42 points.
As for the Penguins, they will also be missing an All-Star in Evgeni Malkin but have barely missed a beat without him. The Pens are fresh off a 3-1 loss to the Bruins but have gone an impressive 20-6-2 over their previous 28 contests.
Pittsburgh has won four of six meetings between these teams this season, although three of those victories came in overtime. Interestingly enough, the Caps are 5-4 in games that have gone into overtime this season but just 0-3 in those situations against Pittsburgh.
The Caps have been dominant at home this season, going 15-6-2 at Capital One Arena. That could make the difference in what should be a close game.
PREDICTION: Washington (-105)
Over/Under pick
Both of these teams have gotten better play between the pipes recently but there's a reason that they are better known for their offensive play.
We mentioned that the Caps are second in the NHL in goals scored but the Pens are no slouches at putting the puck in the net, either. The Pens are fifth in the league with 3.34 goals per game and have bumped that number up to 3.89 over their last 18 contests.
Pittsburgh has also been clicking on the powerplay recently and now ranks eighth in the league with a PP percentage of 22.6, despite struggling with the man-advantage for much of the season.
The Caps have been the league's best Over bets all season, going 29-18-2 O/U and have cashed the Over in eight of their last 10 games. The Pens have gone 6-1 O/U in their last seven road games and the Over has also gone 8-2 in the previous 10 meetings between these Eastern Conference foes.
Even with some of the top offensive players possibly out of action, we're leaning toward the Over again.
PREDICTION: Over 5.5 (-120)
Penguins vs Capitals betting card
- Washington (-105)
- Over 5.5 (-120)
Picks made on 4/29/2021 at 11:15 a.m. ET
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