Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Pick & Prediction 4/17/25

Planning on watching today’s Capitals and Penguins game? Catch the action at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA, as the Penguins hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN. The Capitals come into this Metropolitan division matchup as the -1.5 goal favorite to pick up the win. Currently, the over/under for the game is at 6 goals.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS VS PITTSBURGH PENGUINS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins +1.5

This game will be played at PPG Paints Arena at 7:00 ET on Thursday, April 17th.

WHY BET THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS:

• In spite of being 1.5 goal underdogs, we anticipate the Penguins winning this one 4-2.
• We like the Penguins on the moneyline (-110)
• The Penguins are also our pick on the spread at +1.5

Is A Road Victory Likely for the Favored Capitals?

Washington dropped to 51-21-9 after a 4-2 road loss to the Hurricanes. The Capitals were underdogs on the puck line, and the total was set at 6 goals, resulting in a push.

After trailing 1-0, Washington scored twice in the first period to take the lead. However, the Hurricanes responded with three unanswered goals to secure the win.

Washington’s offense was held to just two goals in their 4-2 loss to the Hurricanes. Alex Ovechkin netted his 7th goal of the season on a power play, while Brandon Duhaime followed with his 2nd goal. The Capitals took 21 shots on goal and recorded 15 giveaways.

Both of Washington’s goals came in the first period, with Ovechkin scoring at 19:16 and Duhaime adding another at 19:49. John Carlson picked up his 7th assist on Ovechkin’s goal, and Dylan Strome earned his 13th assist of the season.

Washington’s defense gave up the first goal at 5:59 in the first period, and after taking a 2-1 lead, they allowed three unanswered goals. The Hurricanes scored at 2:29 and 5:26 in the second period, and added an empty-netter with 9 seconds left in the third. Charlie Lindgren made 41 saves with a 93.2% save percentage, while the Capitals’ defense had 2 takeaways and 20 hits.

Can Pittsburgh Secure a Home Victory?

Pittsburgh moved to 33-36-12 with a 3-1 win over the Canadiens. They covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, and the total of 4 goals fell short of the 6.5 goal line.

Sidney Crosby scored the first two goals for the Penguins, and Blake Lizotte added an empty-netter with 0:45 left in the third period. The Canadiens scored at 14:28 in the third, cutting the Penguins’ lead to 2-1 before Lizotte’s goal sealed the win.

Sidney Crosby led the Penguins’ offense with two goals in their 3-1 win over Montreal, bringing his season total to 5. He found the net early, scoring at 4:03 in the 1st period, and added a power-play goal, his 4th of the season, at 1:20 in the 2nd period. Blake Lizotte contributed with his 2nd goal of the season, an empty-netter at 19:15 in the 3rd period.

Pittsburgh took 24 shots on goal and had 14 giveaways. Lars Eller picked up his 3rd assist on Lizotte’s goal, while Kris Letang recorded his 3rd assist of the season on Crosby’s power-play goal. Erik Karlsson added his 7th assist of the year.

Defensively, the Penguins will look to build on their previous performance, where they allowed just 1 goal to the Canadiens. Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves with a 96.2% save percentage. Pittsburgh’s defense also contributed 5 takeaways, 19 hits, and 19 blocks.