The Washington Capitals are 23-6 in their last 29 games at home. The Capitals are one home win away from advancing into the Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday night, facing the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Penguins vs. Capitals odds, NHL playoffs 2017: Washington set as betting favorite for Game 7
The Capitals and Penguins play in a winner-take-all Game 7 on Wednesday night, with Alex Ovechkin and company getting the nod at the sportsbooks.
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Washington is a -170 betting favorite in Game 7 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Pittsburgh will try to pull off the road upset as a +150 underdog.
Washington Capitals
Facing elimination after falling into a 3-1 series hole, the Capitals have responded with their best hockey of the postseason. The 4-2 win in Game 5 at home was strong, but Monday night’s dominant 5-2 win in Pittsburgh was even more impressive.
Washington has outshot Pittsburgh in every game in this series, holding a staggering 200-133 shot advantage over the Penguins.
Veteran Capitals forward Justin Williams has earned the nickname “Mr. Game 7” for his performances in these winner-take-all games. Williams is 7-0 all-time in seven career Game 7s, with seven goals and seven assists in those games.
Betting Line / Total: Washington -170 / 5.5 Goals
Pittsburgh Penguins
With Sidney Crosby out of the lineup in Game 4 with concussion symptoms, the Penguins held on to an early lead and weathered a 38-shot barrage from the Capitals to take a 3-1 series lead. Crosby was able to return for Game 5 and the Penguins seemed to be in a good position to win the series, but the last couple of games have flipped the script.
Pittsburgh now faces elimination for the first time this postseason, after going 2-0 in elimination games during last year’s Stanley Cup run.
Wednesday night’s total is set at 5.5 goals at online gambling sites. The OVER is 6-3 in Pittsburgh’s last nine postseason games, per the OddsShark NHL Database.
This is the 10th time that these two teams have met in the postseason since 1990, and Pittsburgh has come out on top in eight of the previous nine series. Pittsburgh is 3-0 in Game 7s over that stretch. The winner of this game will have home-ice advantage for the rest of the postseason and will be the favorite to win the Stanley Cup.
Washington finished the regular season with the best record in hockey for the second straight year, but will need to overcome its postseason woes against Pittsburgh to take the next step towards the franchise’s first championship.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals
When: Wednesday, May 10, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
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