Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals Predictions, Picks and Preview – 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference Semifinals Game Two – April 30, 2016
The Pittsburgh Penguins brought the fight to the President’s Trophy winners, the Washington Capitals, only to come out empty-handed in Game 1. The Pens scored twice in the second period and once in the third to force overtime. But the Caps showed their poise when T.J. Oshie netted the overtime winner.
If one thing’s certain, it’s that this will be an epic series between the Pens and Caps. Will the action be as exciting in Game 2? It may as well be. Read on as we take a look at everything you need to know heading into this showdown.
The Pittsburgh Penguins surely know how to bring the fight to their opponents. They outshot Washington 45-35 in Game 1 with Ben Lovejoy, Evgeni Malkin and Nick Bonino each scoring a goal. Of the three, Bonino was easily the best Penguin with two points in the game.
Sidney Crosby made an impact, winning 68 percent of his faceoffs but he was also on the ice for three Washington goals. The Pittsburgh captain will need to be at the top of his game if they are to win Game 2 and seize home ice advantage.
Phil Kessel and Carl Hagelin also had some pretty good performances. Kessel was a terror against the Washington with six shots on goal. He assisted in a goal and was on the ice for two Pittsburgh scores. Hagelin also had a plus-two in Game 1, while assisting on two goals. Big games from Kessel and Hagelin could relieve some of the pressure on Crosby as the Pens attempt to even the series.
Goaltending is a concern for the Pens in this series. The Caps easily have one of the best offenses in the league. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has a rookie between the pipes. Matt Murray allowed four goals on 35 shots Thursday night. But he may be Pittsburgh’s only option with Marc-Andre Fleury continuing to battle post-concussion symptoms.
The total has gone over in the last three games between these two teams.
Betting on the Washington Capitals
T.J. Oshie is a game-changer! Acquired from an offseason trade with the St. Louis Blues, Oshie showed his worth to Washington by scoring a hat trick in Game 1 on Thursday night. Oshie’s wraparound just barely crossed the line 9:33 into overtime to give the Caps the 1-0 series lead.
Oshie figures to remain a strong contributor for Washington in this series. He had four points (three goals and an assist) in five regular season games against the Pens. But while Oshie should get his fair share of points, Alex Ovechkin cannot be ignored.
Ovechkin missed out on scoring on two different breakaways against Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray in Game 1. He’s yet to score against the Pens in five regular season meetings. Don’t count out the Washington captain, though. He’s easily the Caps’ best scorer with a team-high 50 goals in the regular season.
While Ovechkin and Oshie terrorize Pittsburgh’s rookie goalie, Braden Holtby should be solid between the pipes. The Vezina Trophy finalist stopped 42 of 45 shots in Game 1. He’s now 5-2 with a 1.12 GAA in the playoffs thus far.
The Caps have won three of their four playoff games heading into Game 2.
Writer’s Prediction
The Caps take a 2-0 lead as the series switches to Pittsburgh.
