NHL betting trends, odds and predictions for Monday, May 8th, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NHL Knowledge
Home side won last two Washington-Pittsburgh games, after visitors won first three; Penguins can wrap up series with win here. Capitals lost four of last five games in Steel City; four of those five games went to OT. Under is 5-2 in last seven Washington games. Pittsburgh is 7-3 in its last ten games, winning four of last five at home; over is 5-3 in their last eight games overall. Caps are 3-17 on power play in series, Penguins are also 3-17. Over is 6-3-1 in last ten series games.
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Monday’s Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Preview
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Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins (-125, 5.5)
Alex Ovechkin's detractors appear to come out en masse during the postseason due in large part because the three-time Hart Trophy winner has yet to guide the Washington Capitals past the second round. After recording his 10th goal and 20th point in 19 contests in which the Capitals face elimination, Ovechkin looks to temporarily quiet the critics once again on Monday when his team visits the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 of their series.
"We're still down. We take good moments in the game (Saturday) and move forward," said Ovechkin, who capped Washington's three-goal third period in Saturday's 4-2 triumph with his eighth point (five goals, three assists) of the playoffs. While the 31-year-old Russian has been impressive versus Pittsburgh with 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 18 career postseason games, the Penguins have enjoyed the last laugh by winning seven of the previous eight series - and going on to capture the Stanley Cup after the last two (2009, 2016). Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan isn't interested in history, whether it dates back to last season's second-round series versus Washington - the Penguins won in six games, by the way - or the events of Saturday's Game 5. "We have to have a short memory," Sullivan said. "We just have to reset our mindset and go home and try to put our very best on the ice."
LINE HISTORY: The Penguins opened as -120 home favorites for this crucial Game 6 and that moneyline bumped up slightly on Sunday evening to -125. The total opened at 5.5.
INJURY REPORT:
Capitals - No injuries to report.
Penguins - D C. Ruhwedel (Out Indefinitely, upper body), G M. Murray (Out Indefinitely, lower body), D K. Letang (Out For Season, neck).
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (61-22-5-5, 41-37 O/U): While Ovechkin often gets the headlines, countryman Evgeny Kuznetsov continues to be one of the main stories of this series after scoring a goal in each of the past three games to tie Nicklas Backstrom and Ovechkin for the team lead with five. The affable 24-year-old Russian is often one to make outlandish statements, too, but played it close to the vest with reporters when he shared the team's mindset. "We talked about winning (Game 5) and then going to Pittsburgh and win another game," Kuznetsov said. "Now we have to focus on the second game. We can't think about Game 7. We just focus on Game 6 right now."
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (57-23-7-5, 52-35 O/U): Captain Sidney Crosby and fellow forward Conor Sheary returned on Saturday from respective one-game absences due to a concussion, with the former notching his franchise high-tying 96th assist for his 12th point (four goals, eight assists) in nine playoff contests in 2017. Crosby told reporters that his team needs to focus on puck possession as a means to overcome a huge shot discrepancy in the series (Washington leads 174-115). "I would say just a little bit more zone time," the two-time Hart Trophy finalist said. "If we can hold onto the puck a little bit more, we should get more shots. I think we'll generate a little bit more from that."
TRENDS:
* Capitals are 4-10 in their last 14 Conference Semifinals games.
* Penguins are 22-6 in their last 28 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Under is 4-0 in Capitals last 4 games following a win.
* Under is 6-1-1 in Penguins last 8 home games.
* Capitals are 1-7 in the last 8 meetings in Pittsburgh.
WASHINGTON (61-23-0-9, 131 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (57-23-0-12, 126 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 7-12 ATS (-10.6 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
PITTSBURGH is 121-77 ATS (+27.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 24-7 ATS (+13.0 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
PITTSBURGH is 78-45 ATS (-2.3 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 27-13 ATS (+7.1 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
PITTSBURGH is 52-28 ATS (+13.0 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 36-14 ATS (+15.7 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 30-10 ATS (+15.5 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 41-26 ATS (+9.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 123-64 ATS (+25.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 13-11 (+2.3 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 13-11-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
10 of 20 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.6 Units, Under=-1.5 Units)
WASHINGTON vs. PITTSBURGH
Washington is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Washington
Pittsburgh is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games