The defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins will raise their banner on Thursday night as they host the Washington Capitals in a game that can be seen on NBCSN. This is a rematch of last season’s playoff series that the Penguins won in six games in the second round. The Capitals and Penguins are expected to challenge for the Stanley Cup again this season as they are co-favorites to win the Cup at odds of +750. The Penguins may be without their top player for this game as captain Sidney Crosby has been diagnosed with a concussion. Let’s look at Thursday’s game and NHL picks.
Odds Analysis
The Penguins are expected to be small home favorites in this contest with the total listed at 5 or 5.5 but the line could fluctuate with news coming out about Crosby suffering a concussion. The home team was favored in five of the six playoff meetings last season with the total listed at 5 for all six games.
One of the many options for betting NHL odds at BookMaker.eu is futures and the Capitals and Penguins are each listed at odds of +750 to win the Stanley Cup. Washington is +140 to win the Metropolitan Division while Pittsburgh is +175.
Goalie Report
The Capitals will be going with Braden Holtby in this game and he is coming of a shutout in the last game of the preseason. Holtby won the Vezina Trophy last season and he looks to be in top form to start the regular season.
The Penguins will be without playoff hero Matt Murray to start the season as he is out due to a broken hand. It will be Marc Andre-Fleury getting the start for Pittsburgh on Thursday and he has a ton of experience and was the starter for the Penguins for most of last season until Murray took over and never let loose of the job.
Injury Notes
The Capitals come into this opener at full strength while the Penguins are missing two of their top players. Crosby is expected to be out due to a concussion he suffered last Friday in practice. "He came to the rink on Saturday not feeling well, and we went from there," head coach Mike Sullivan said.
A concussion for most players is considered a short term issue but with Crosby it could be a season or career-ending problem. Crosby missed half of the 2011 season due to concussion and he played only 22 games in 2012.
The Penguins will also be without Murray who backstopped them to a Stanley Cup title last season. Murray was hurt during the World Cup of Hockey and now Pittsburgh will start the season without their top goaltender.
Situational Betting
The Capitals are 0-4 in the last 4 meetings in Pittsburgh. The Capitals are 1-4 in their last 5 road games. The Penguins are 25-8 in their last 33 home games.
The Under is 5-2-2 in the Capitals last 9 overall. The Under is 6-1 in the Penguins last 7 overall. The Over is 21-9-7 in the Penguins last 37 home games. The Over is 2-0-3 in the last 5 meetings in Pittsburgh.
Analysis & Prediction
The Capitals will want to take some sort of revenge against the Penguins in the season opener. Washington won the Presidents' Trophy last season but once again it didn’t matter as they were eliminated in the playoffs. The Capitals have the top goal scorer in the league in Alex Ovechkin and arguably the top goaltender in Holtby. They didn’t do much in the off-season other than bring in Lars Eller to boast their secondary scoring.
The Penguins are up against history this season as no team since the Detroit Red Wings in 1998 has won two straight Stanley Cups and now the Penguins have to start the season without Crosby and Murray.
I think this could be a tight, low scoring game which fits the Capitals perfectly so I will take Washington and the game under.
Washington 2, Pittsburgh 1
The NHL odds for this Thursday contest will be released first by BookMaker. Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time odds and player props during the game. Live betting is open during every commercial break!
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The matchup between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins will start at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 13, 2016, at PPG Paints Arena. The game will be televised live on NBCSN.
