Pittsburgh Penguins vs Washington Capitals Prediction: Expect a lot of pucks

Prediction for the NHL match which will take place on March 8. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

Pittsburgh continues its desperate chase for a cup spot, but so far the Penguins' chances of ultimate success seem very modest. At the end of February, they worked hard to get close to the playoff zone when they beat Montreal 4:1, Philadelphia 7:6 and Vancouver 4:3. It seemed like they were on a roll and would continue to pick up points, but then they lost three straight to Seattle, Calgary and Edmonton by a combined score of 4:12, all in regulation time. Only the day before, the Pennsylvanians' losing streak was broken when they beat Columbus 5:3, climbing to 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Washington is another team that has to stay in the role of the pursuer of the cup eight for the whole regular season. The Capitals' situation is very similar to that of the Penguins: a very old roster, lack of money under the salary cap, and huge stability problems. As soon as they have a decent stretch, they have a string of bad luck. At the turn of January and February, they had lost eight of their nine games before picking up where they left off, winning five of their previous eight fixtures. That's good enough to sit tenth in the Eastern Conference standings.

Pittsburgh and Washington are neighbours in the Eastern Conference standings, which continue to fight for the playoffs. So far, the Capitals are one point ahead, but their gap from the Cup Final Eight is much more serious - seven points, but they also have three games in hand. There are still chances for final success, and therefore this game is of great importance for both teams. The favourites in this pairing are the Penguins, who will play on their own ice, and they have won the last three games in a row at home.

Despite the importance of the upcoming confrontation, we can expect high goal-scoring activity from Pittsburgh and Washington. For this purpose, it is enough to turn to the last results of the teams. In the last four home games for the Penguins, there have been 35 shots on goal (8.75 per game on average), while the Capitals have scored and conceded a combined 71 goals (7.88 per game on average) in nine previous battles.