Pittsburgh Penguins (12-8-5, fourth in the Metropolitan) vs. Washington Capitals (16-4-6, first in the Metropolitan)
Washington; Friday, 7 p.m. EST
LINE: Capitals -148, Penguins +123; over/under is 6
BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Penguins visit Washington after the Capitals took down Anaheim 4-3 in a shootout.
The Capitals are 11-3-3 against Eastern Conference opponents. Washington ranks second in the Eastern Conference recording 9.2 points per game, averaging 3.5 goals and 5.6 assists.
The Penguins are 2-2-0 against the rest of their division. Pittsburgh has scored 74 goals and is eighth in the Eastern Conference averaging 3.0 goals per game. Jake Guentzel leads the team with 15.
In their last meeting on Nov. 14, Washington won 6-1.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nick Jensen leads the Capitals with a plus-20 in 26 games this season. Alex Ovechkin has eight goals and seven assists over the last 10 games for Washington.
Kris Letang leads the Penguins with 16 total assists and has 17 points. Guentzel has 16 points over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.
LAST 10 GAMES: Capitals: 7-2-1, averaging 3.5 goals, 5.4 assists, 2.7 penalties and 5.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game with a .920 save percentage.
Penguins: 7-2-1, averaging 3.2 goals, 6.1 assists, 2.5 penalties and 5.2 penalty minutes while giving up 1.2 goals per game with a .957 save percentage.
INJURIES: Capitals: Nic Dowd: day to day (health protocols), Trevor van Riemsdyk: day to day (health protocols), Garnet Hathaway: out (covid-19).
Penguins: Jake Guentzel: out (upper-body), Brian Boyle: day to day (upper body).
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