NHL Betting Preview: Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Game 4 Odds

The Pittsburgh Penguins can put the top-seeded Washington Capitals on the brink of elimination with their third straight win in Game 4 of their series on Wednesday.

The Penguins host the Capitals again in Game 4 as -120 betting favorites (bet $120 to win $100) at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark following a 3-2 home victory in Game 3 on Monday that was also their fourth win in five meetings overall.

Pittsburgh led Washington 3-0 through two periods before allowing two goals in the third, as rookie goaltender Matt Murray continued his stellar play with 47 saves. Murray did not allow a goal until the 8:02 mark of the third on Alex Ovechkin’s fourth tally of the postseason and then gave up another to Justin Williams with less than a minute remaining.

The Pens won again despite captain Sidney Crosby remaining scoreless in the series after being held to just two shots. Crosby has taken six shots overall through the first three games, averaging a little more than 20 minutes of ice time.

The Caps did just about everything they could offensively to win Game 3, but Murray was simply too good. Ovechkin took seven shots on goal, and he did not even lead the team. Defenseman John Carlson had eight shots and assisted on the last goal, while forwards Marcus Johansson and Evgeny Kuznetsov each fired six at Murray.

Washington netminder Braden Holtby has been outplayed in the last two games, giving up five goals on 58 shots after making a postseason-best 42 saves in a 4-3 Game 1 overtime victory.

Holtby was viewed as arguably the league’s top goalie entering the playoffs, but he struggled down the stretch of the regular season, surrendering 11 goals in the last four games. He was 2-2 versus Pittsburgh in the regular season with a 2.90 goals-against average and has given up eight goals in his last two games at the Consol Energy Center.

However, he allowed more than one goal only once in the first round against the Philadelphia Flyers and posted shutouts in Games 1 and 6 of that series. The over is now 3-1-3 in the past seven meetings, according to the Odds Shark NHL Database.