Game 1 of this year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals gets underway this Thursday night at the Verizon Center with the Pittsburgh Penguins going on the road to face the Washington Capitals. The puck is set to drop at 8 p.m. (ET) in this Metro Division tilt and the game will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network.
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It took the Penguins five games to get past the New York Rangers in the opening round. The two split the first two games in Pittsburgh before they rallied for three-straight wins to close things out. They have now won 18 of their last 21 games dating all the way back to March 11 and the total went OVER in three of the five games against New York.
There is little doubt that Pittsburgh brings a ton of momentum into this highly anticipated matchup against the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins got the job done against New York on both ends of the ice after scoring an average of 4.2 goals while holding them to a combined total of 10 goals in five games. Sidney Crosby accounted for three goals along with five assists and Matt Murray won all three games he was in goal behind a stellar .955 save percentage.
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Washington cruised to a 3-0 series lead against Philadelphia before needing a 1-0 victory in Game 6 as a -166 road favorite to close things out in six games. It outscored the Flyers 12-2 in those first three wins before dropping the next two games by a combined score of 4-1. The total stayed UNDER in the last three games of this series. The Capitals had the most points in the NHL this season (120), but going back to April 2 they have just five wins in their last 11 games.
There is no doubt that Washington has the best team on paper with Alex Ovechkin leading the offensive attack and Braden Holtby anchoring the defense in goal, but there has to be some concern over the mental breakdown in the opening round when it had Philadelphia clearly on the ropes. As far as Thursday’s series opener, the Capitals also have to be concerned with four losses in their last six home games including a 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh on April 7 as -125 home favorites.
The Penguins are 10-1 in their last 11 road games and they are 13-3 in their last 16 games against a team with a winning record. The total has gone OVER in nine of their last 14 games.
The Capitals are 17-8 in their last 25 Metro Division games, but they are just 7-16 in their last 23 games in the conference semifinals. The total has gone OVER in six of their last nine games against a team with a winning record.
Head-to-head in this division rivalry, the road team is 5-2 in the last seven meetings and the total has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in the last four games.
