NHL Preview & Picks – February 1st, 2022

February 1, 2022

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We have a great slate of NHL games tonight. A new episode of Expected Bets For will be out later tonight breaking down Wednesday’s games.

The NHL will be on a brief pause starting Thursday to Monday as the All Star Game will take place this weekend. The Skills Competition will take place Friday and will feature two new events, the Fountain Face Off and Las Vegas NHL 21′ in 22. The All Star Game will be held Saturday with the same 3 on 3 format they’ve used since 2016. I should have have article out later this week breaking down the field and odds for each event.

Washington Capitals @ Pittsburgh Penguins

Time: 7:00 PM ET
TV Coverage: ESPN +
Washington Capitals: 24-12-9, 4th Metropolitan (12-5-4 Away)
Pittsburgh Penguins: 27-11-7, 3rd Metropolitan (13-6-4 Home)

Team	Opening ML	Current ML	Spread	Total
Washington Capitals	+105	+145	+1.5 (-170)	o6.0 (-105)
Pittsburgh Penguins	-133	-170	-1.5 (+150)	u6.0 (-115)

Trends:

Under is 4-0 in Capitals last 4 overall.
Under is 5-1 in Capitals last 6 road games.
Pittsburgh are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games at home.
Penguins are 5-0 in their last 5 vs. Metropolitan.

Preview:

This will be the third meeting between these teams this season. They first met back on November 14th, where Washington defeated the Penguins 6-1. Pittsburgh evened up the series on December 10th, beating the Capitals 4-2. In both of those games, Washington was the favorite but roles have reversed tonight as the Penguins opened up at -133 and is now up to -170.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals enter this game off a 5-0 win over Dallas on Friday night. Prior to that game they had lost two straight to San Jose and Vegas. During the month of January, the Capitals have failed to win back to back games going 4-8.

Offensively, the Capitals average 3.18 Goals For but in their last 10 games only average 2.50. On the year, Washington has a +12.22 Goals For Above Expected which ranks 4th. While they generate an average amount of scoring chances, they have been great at capitalizing on the ones the do. Their Power Play has also struggled on the season only converting at 15.2 % which ranks 29th.

Defensively, they allow an average of 2.67 Goals Against per game. They do a great job of limiting shots, specifically High Danger Shots. While their offense has struggled as of late, their defense has been right around their season average. Their Penalty Kill ranks 14th and doesn’t see a lot of action as the Caps are one of the most disciplined teams in the NHL.

They’ll be without Nick Jensen tonight as he remain in COVID protocols.

It looks like Vitek Vanecek will get the start for them in net tonight. He as a +0.4 Goals Saved Above Expected on the year. In his last start he shut out the Dallas Stars and has been great recently. When he faced Pittsburgh back in November he only allowed one goal against.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins are in a bit of a skid having lost their last three games. All three of those games were at home which makes it a bit more concerning. They’ve all been close games with two of those losses coming in extra time.

Pittsburgh averages 3.31 Goals For per game ranking 8th but, during their three game losing streak have only averaged 2 Goals For per game. The Penguins do have one of the best XGoal % in the NHL with a 54.03%. However, they have a -0.17 Goals For Above Expected. With the amount of scoring chances Pittsburgh creates the number isn’t that worrisome. The more concerning statistic has been their lack of goals recently. Their Power Play ranks 14th converting on 20.6% of their man advantages.

On the year Pittsburgh averages 2.56 Goals Against per game. However, in their last 10 games, which include the current losing streak they’re on, are allowing an average of 2.90 Goals Against per game. Just like Washington, the Penguins do a great job of limiting shots against ranking 9th. Their Penalty Kill has also been great this year and ranks 2nd.

Tristan Jarry is expected to get the start for the Penguins tonight. He’s been great this year, rebounding from his horrific playoff performance last season. Jarry has a +14.3 GSAx in 36 games played. In his most recent starts he has allowed 4-2-3-2-0 goals against.

Pick: