The Pittsburgh Penguins have an important final game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, while the Washington Capitals look to get on track against a possible first-round opponent in the New York Rangers in today’s betting guide.
Pittsburgh Penguins (-350) vs Columbus Blue Jackets (+260)
PIT: 45-25-11, 3.26 GF/GP, 2.70 GA/GP, L10: 4-5-1
CBJ: 37-37-7, 3.15 GF/GP, 3.60 GA/GP, L10: 4-5-1
There’s no reason to think that the Penguins won’t sweep the season series as they are still fighting to stay out of the final wild card spot. They’ve won all three games against the Blue Jackets this season already. Both the Penguins and the Capitals play and nobody wants to play the Florida Panthers if they finish lower. The Penguins’ fate is in their own hands as they secure third with a win or a point.
The Penguins are coming off consecutive losses in which they were outscored 9-2. The Blue Jackets have lost five of seven but won two of their previous three games. They are looking like a bit of a new team with a number of young players inserted into their lineup, but it won’t be enough against a desperate Penguins team that looks to get going in possibly their last playoff run with this core group of players. Take the Penguins and the over (O6, -120) since both backups project to start in Game 82 of the regular season.
New York Rangers (-110) vs Washington Capitals (-110)
NYR: 51-24-6, 3.05 GF/GP, 2.49 GA/GP, L10: 6-4-0
WSH: 44-25-12, 3.31 GF/GP, 2.95 GA/GP, L10: 5-3-2
The Rangers look like they will rest a number of their regulars in their final game as they did so in their previous game against the Montreal Canadiens. They lost that game in the final minute but were without key players, like Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Adam Fox, and more, which has stopped their attempts at more milestones. They could very well play the Capitals in the first round of the playoffs, so having all their regulars back in the lineup may be what happens.
On the Capitals’ side, they are still without Alex Ovechkin and have looked bad in their previous two games, losing both games of a home-and-home with the New York Islanders by a combined score of 9-2. Their goaltending hasn’t been sharp as well, and if the Rangers’ big guns are in, they will feast on the likely starter Ilya Samsonov. Take the Rangers in this one if their stars return to the lineup. But either way, take the over (O5.5, -120) as well.
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
The Hockey Writers & THWBets promotes responsible gaming, and provides this content as opinion and analysis with no guarantees or assurances.
For more information about responsible gambling, including help for problem gambling behaviour, please visit these great resource pages:
If you’re in Canada, Rogers Sports & Media has put together a great information and resources page.
If you’re in the United States, MGMResorts has a great page for gambling problem resources.
