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Capitals vs. Penguins NHL Player Props, Odds: Picks & Predictions for Tuesday

Robert Criscola

Last Updated: January 2, 2024 5:46 PM EST • 2 min 33 sec read.

Jake Guentzel of the Pittsburgh Penguins is featured in our NHL player prop picks for Capitals vs. Penguins.
Jake Guentzel #59 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on December 27, 2023 in Elmont, New York. Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images via AFP.

The latest edition of the Alex Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby rivalry takes place with the Washington Capitals slumping and the Pittsburgh Penguins catching fire, and our top Capitals vs. Penguins NHL player props are based on the best NHL odds.

The Washington Capitals ended 2023 by losing four in a row, scoring just five total goals in that span. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins have won three straight and five of their last six overall. Pittsburgh has also won three of the last four meetings between these two teams.

Here are our best Capitals vs. Penguins NHL player props and NHL picks (odds via our best NHL betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Capitals vs. Penguins NHL Player Props

Jake Guentzel anytime goal (+130 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jake Guentzel is one of the Penguins' most consistent scorers with nine goals across Pittsburgh's last 13 games, and he looks primed to tally another vs. the Capitals' shoddy defense.

Washington is 21st in the NHL in shot prevention since Thanksgiving, and Guentzel is averaging over 3.5 shots per game on the season. Guentzel's average was over 3.8 shots per game in December.

Getting to four shots on goal and satisfying his Over 3.5 shots on goal prop in the -110 range is not nearly as appetizing as banking on him to get a goal while continuing to amass shots. The best price across our best sports betting apps in this market is the +130 found at bet365, followed by +123 at BetRivers.

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Evgeni Malkin Over 2.5 shots on goal (-125 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The goals are not coming as often as Evgeni Malkin would like, but he hasn't lost any confidence in his shot based on recent statistics. 

Malkin fired 41 pucks on net over 13 December games, but found the twine only four times. While that makes his anytime goal prop at +180 to +200 a bit dubious as anything but a sprinkle, there's plenty of value to be had in taking the Over on 2.5 shots on goal for Malkin. He's tallied at least three shots in nine of his last 13 contests.

The -125 line on this prop is widely found across our best sports betting sites, with DraftKings, BetMGM, and bet365 offering it along with Caesars.

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Evgeny Kuznetsov Under 0.5 points (-145 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you can't put the puck in the net, winning becomes tough—and right now, the Caps seem to struggle to score even if they were shooting into the wide ocean. This dry spell in scoring isn't unfamiliar for Washington, which ranks 31st in the NHL for goals per game. Facing off against the Penguins' strong defense, ranked sixth in goals allowed per game, isn't likely to help the Capitals turn things around.

Evgeny Kuznetsov is one of their many players mired in a point-scoring drought at present, who's gone nine games without finding the scoresheet. His time-on-ice was shaved noticeably from 20:51 in November to 17:05 in December, and he averaged just one shot on goal across 12 games last month. 

Playing this Kuznetsov prop at -145 at DraftKings gets you a slight edge compared to the -150 available at BetMGM and bet365.

Capitals vs. Penguins NHL player props made Tuesday at 10:45 a.m. ET.

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Written By:
Robert Criscola
Robert M. Criscola is a veteran sportswriter from Brooklyn, NY whose work has appeared at Covers.com, MetroBet, TwinSpires Edge, and Horse Racing Nation. Robert is often found in “the best seat in the house,” watching the game of the night (or the race of the day) in his living room.