NHL Playoff Preview – Can the Caps Come Back at Home?

Online Sportsbook Overview

Things were not supposed to go like this for the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers. Neither team was supposed to be tangled in a fierce battle in the second round of the playoffs, especially with each other. The Capitals slid into the playoffs and were supposed to be dispatched by the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins. Even the best sportsbook online did not give the Capitals much of a chance of winning a game from the Bruins, much less the entire series. But by the time the series was over, the Bruins were sent packing and the Capitals went on to the second round.

 

The New York Rangers were the best team in the Eastern Conference all season long. The Rangers were supposed to slam in to the playoffs and destroy the Ottawa Senators in the first round. The price per head sportsbook experts had the Rangers as the odds-on favorite to win it all this season. But the Rangers needed overtime in the seventh game to beat the Senators and nowNew York is facing down game six with those pesky Capitals. It is funny how things can sometimes work out in a manner that no one expected but yet it still grabs everyone’s interest.

 

Washington Capitals

There is no doubt that a goaltending star is born in Washingtonwith rookie Braden Holtby. Unlike Semyon Varlomov before him, Holtby is a Washingtonrookie goaltender that is holding up well to the pressure of the playoffs. By the time Varlomov was knocked out of the playoffs in his rookie year, he was giving up basket loads of goals each game. Holtby is not cracking under the pressure and he seems to be getting better with each game. A 5 dimes review of the Capitals’ effort around Holtby shows a team that is playing at a level it had not achieved during the regular season. Then again, that is what the playoffs are all about.

 

New York Rangers

The Rangers are not making anything easy on itself in these playoffs. Overtime games have become commonplace in this series with the Capitals, and the Rangers are just barely winning these overtime games. This series had its triple-overtime epic that Alex Ovechkin could have ended for the Capitals just a few minutes into the first overtime period. Some of it is luck with the Rangers, and some of it is the spectacular play of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.

 

The Bottom Line

The NHL fans inNew York would love to know where the Rangers’ offense has gone in the playoffs, but the fans will take the wins they have seen so far. This series has become a goaltending battle, and the rookie is doing just fine at keeping pace with the veteran. This series will come down to offense and, in the end, the Washington Capitals should have a much more potent offense than the New York Rangers.

 

Pick: Washington Capitals

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