Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Pick & Prediction 2/22/25
Looking to win big? The Capitals and Penguins face off at 3:00 ET on ABC. The Penguins are hosting the game at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. The Capitals are favored by -1.5 in this Metropolitan divisional contest against the Penguins. The game’s over/under currently sits at 5.5 goals.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS VS PITTSBURGH PENGUINS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins +1.5
This game will be played at PPG Paints Arena at 3:00 ET on Saturday, February 22nd.
WHY BET THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS:
- Even though they are 1.5 goal underdogs, we see the Penguins winning this game by a score of 4-2.
- We like the Penguins on the moneyline (+137)
- The Penguins are also our pick on the spread at +1.5
Can Washington Grab a Win on the Road?
The Capitals dropped to 36-11-8 after a 4-2 loss to the Hurricanes. Washington was the underdog on the puck line, and the total of 6 goals resulted in a push.
After giving up the first goal, Washington responded with two goals in the first period. However, the Hurricanes scored the next three, including an empty-netter, to secure the win.
In their 4-2 loss to the Hurricanes, the Capitals scored both of their goals in the first period. Alex Ovechkin netted his 7th goal of the season, a power-play strike. Brandon Duhaime followed with his 2nd goal of the year.
Washington registered 21 shots on goal but struggled with 15 giveaways. Nic Dowd picked up his 2nd assist of the season, while Dylan Strome added his 13th assist on Ovechkin’s goal.
After taking a 2-1 lead into the first intermission, the Capitals’ defense gave up two goals in the second period and one more in the third, resulting in a 4-2 loss. Charlie Lindgren made 41 saves with a 93.2% save percentage, but the defense struggled, allowing 44 shots on goal. The final goal was an empty-netter by the Hurricanes with 9 seconds left in the third period.
Will Pittsburgh Make it Happen at Home?
The Penguins improved to 23-25-9 with a 3-1 road win over the Canadiens. Pittsburgh, favored by -1.5 goals, covered the puck line. The total was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 4 fell short of that mark.
Sidney Crosby led the way with two goals, including one in the first period at 15:57. He added another at 18:40 in the second period, this time on the power play. Montreal cut the lead to 2-1 in the third, but Blake Lizotte sealed the game with an empty-netter at 19:15.
Sidney Crosby led the way for the Penguins, scoring twice in their 3-1 win over the Canadiens. He netted his 4th goal of the season in the first period and followed up with his 5th on a power play in the second. Blake Lizotte added an empty-netter, his 2nd goal of the year.
The Penguins fired 24 shots on goal and recorded 14 giveaways. Lars Eller picked up his 3rd assist on Lizotte’s empty-net goal, while Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson each contributed assists, with Karlsson now at 7 assists for the season.
Defensively, the Penguins will look to build on a strong performance in their last game, where they allowed just one goal to the Canadiens. Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves with a 96.2% save percentage. Pittsburgh’s defense also contributed 5 takeaways and 19 hits. The only goal they allowed came 5:32 into the 3rd period, cutting their lead to 2-1.