The Capitals managed to stay alive in the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 4-2 victory on Saturday. Can they manage another win tonight on Pittsburgh’s ice? Keep reading to get Game 6’s Eastern Conference semifinals prediction.
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Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins
- When: Monday, May 8, 2017, 7:30 PM ET
- Where: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
- Moneyline: Penguins -115 vs Capitals +104
- Over/Under: 5.5
Bet on the Capitals
Down a goal in the final period of Game 5, the Capitals rallied to score three unanswered goals and the win, effectively extending the best-of-seven series to another day.
Niklas Backstrom tied the game, which was followed by the go-ahead score from Evgeny Kuznetsov that put Washington ahead and a final score from Captain Alex Ovechkin less than 30 seconds after Kusnetsov’s score.
The Capitals are trying to avoid what happened in last year’s playoffs, when they also faced the Penguins at a 3-2 disadvantage in the second round series, and couldn’t extend it to a seventh game.
Washington will look to continue its aggressive offense that has been out-shooting Pittsburgh by more than seven shots taken this postseason, but needs to start producing goals.
Bet on the Penguins
The Pens took their eyes off the puck, failing to close out the series over the weekend. However, they have another shot at winning tonight on their home ice.
Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury seemed to ease up somewhat in Game 5, something which resulted in only 28 stopped shots of 32 taken by Washington, including, of course, the three goals allowed on five shots taken over the span of five minutes in the the third period.
The Penguins will benefit from the return from injury of two key players; team captain Sidney Crosby and right wing Conor Sheary were on the ice in Game 5 and they’ll also take the rink tonight. Crosby and Sheary add more strength to the Penguins’ offense that along with Phil Kessel is well equipped to do some major damage.
The Penguins also benefit from playing at home. They’re 5-1 at home in six playoff games this year, having outscored their opponents by a 21-10 margin.
Betting Trends
Washington is 1-11 ATS in its last 12 games
Washington is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games
Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games at home
Game Prediction: This will be a hard-fought game. Washington will come out blazing, but it’ll be Pittsburgh that takes the win. History repeats once more and the Penguins win the series 4-2.