The Washington Capitals meet the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference semifinal — their first postseason tangle since 2009, a series that went the distance. This time, Washington is the top seed in the Eastern Conference and the Metropolitan Division champion, while the Penguins are the runner-up in the Metropolitan. The Penguins annihilated the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, winning in a whirlwind that shattered the idea that the Rangers had a defense that, backstopped by Henrik Lundqvist, could slow the Penguin attack. The Capitals thought they would have a short series with the Philadelphia Flyers, but the plucky wild card team pushed the top seed to six games and held them to two goals in the last three games. Let’s look at some reasons why the Penguins are ready to pull off an upset in this semifinal round. And don’t forget to be on the lookout for more NHL betting lines by clicking here.
A Look at the NHL Playoffs Semifinal Preview on Pittsburgh vs Washington
That Offensive Hurricane
The Penguins slammed the Rangers from all angles in that five-game quarterfinal series, ending up doing so much damage that Henrik Lundqvist finished Games 4 and 5 on the bench, with the game out of hand. In the postseason, Pittsburgh is tops in goals, with more than four per game, and in power play performance, at an eye-popping 38.1 percent, which is about double the league power play average in the postseason. The team has four terrific scoring lines that can light the lamp, which means that they will make Washington play a more open game.
The Great Matt Murray
You wouldn’t know that Matt Murray is a 21-year- old rookie from watching the work he has done so far in these playoffs. He played Games 3, 4 and 5 against New York and posted a stellar .953 save percentage, permitting only four goals in those three games. In front of him, the Penguins dropped the hammer on the Rangers’ power play, permitting just two power play goals in 19 opportunities (and one of those goals came during a 5 on 3 advantage. If Murray stumbles, you might hear some rumblings about Marc-Andre Fleury returning sooner from his concussion, but for now the job appears to be Murray’s.
A Drought in the Nation’s Capital
No, it’s not a dry spell — it’s a lack of goals. The Capitals scored two goals total in Games 4, 5 and 6 against Philadelphia. Yes, the Capitals won Game 6 by stoning the Flyers and posting a 1-0 shutout, but they are facing a much more solid offense in the Penguins. Pittsburgh has gone 18-3- 0 in their last 21 games, and the Capitlas are struggling to put up goals against a wild card team. Evgeny Kuznetsov was terrific in the postseason last year and led Washington in points during the regular season this year, but he only posted a single point against Philadelphia.
Pittsburgh has the momentum on their side right now, after the scored in bunches against New York while the Capitals struggled to light the lamp against a wild card team. If you think the Penguins can keep that momentum going, you’ll want to bet on them in this series.
