Washington Capitals - Pittsburgh Penguins predictions and free betting tips [13/10/2023]

An exciting NHL encounter awaits us these days. On Saturday, 14 October, a face-off between the oldest teams, Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, will take place at the Capital One Arena. Let's investigate the potential match outcomes.

Washington

In the previous season, 'Capitals' had a score of 35-37-10 in their general record, grtting 80 points. It can be broadly stated that last year was a flop for them. Injuries to top players and personal issues facing team captain Alexander Ovechkin contributed to their poor performance.

In this new season Washington's chances of reaching the playoffs are rather slim. Many believe that this year is going to be a failure for the 'Caps'. The only hope in the lineup is the captain himself, who might set a new Gretzky record in this season. However, this alone is not enough to secure a playoff spot: key players in the team are in their late 30s and the youth players have so far not shown their full potential.

Pittsburgh

Last season saw 'Penguins' perform well, but they failed to make the playoffs. They lacked one point to overtake ‘Florida’, who subsequently became the top team of the Eastern Conference. This season will be remarkable for the Malkin-Crosby-Letang trio as it’s their 18th season together. However, with each passing year, the team's outcomes are expected to get worse.

The team's main problem is its age, being the oldest team in the NHL. Although the Penguins' defence has been somewhat fortified with the signing of Erik Karlsson. In their first match against 'Chicago' with Conor Berard, 'Penguins' led by two goals during the game, but the 'Blackhawks' fought back, winning the match with the score (4:2).

Head-to-Head

Last season the teams met three times. 'Washington' managed to win once in penalty shootouts (3:2), and twice the victory went to 'Penguins' (4:3) and (4:1).

Predictions

The 'Penguins' have a slight advantage as they have already had a match. Despite a loss to Chicago, I'm still banking on Pittsburgh to perform better than the 'Caps' this season. The reason is simple, it's the quantity of key players that they can rely on. With this consideration, 'Penguins' seem to be in a better situation - making them the suggested betting favourite for the next full-time victory.