NHL Playoff Preview – The Capitals Continue to Surprise Everyone

Sports Betting Overview

The Washington Capitals were not supposed to beat the Boston Bruins in the first round of the NHLplayoffs. But Washingtonrookie goalie Braden Holtby got hot as Bostongoalie Tim Thomas cooled off and the Capitals sent the defending champion packing. Then the online betting sites said that the Capitals would get swept by the New York Rangers in the second round of the playoffs. In game one, it seemed like that may be the case. But then the Capitals bore down and slowed the Rangers almost to a halt in game two and came away with the win. Holtby continues to impress and the Capitals are not getting swept by the New York Rangers in the second round of theNHL playoffs.

 

To the price per head bookie experts, it almost looks like the New York Rangers are making things more difficult than they need to be in these playoffs. There is no way that the eighth seeded Ottawa Senators would take the first seed New York Rangers to a seventh and deciding game in theNHL playoffs. Yet, that is exactly what happened. The Rangers are still having a problem consistently scoring goals, and it could cost them dearly in this series. As the series shifts toWashington, there is a lot forNew York fans to be concerned about.

 

Washington Capitals

When the Rangers won game one of this series and limited the Capitals to only 18 shots, everyone started to think that the Rangers could just grind this series out and win with defense. But the Capitals had an answer in game two and Braden Holtby made 26 saves to make the win stick. Once again, the Capitals had precious few shots on net. ButWashingtonis doing its best to make every shot count. Can Braden Holtby out-duelNew Yorkgoalie Henrik Lundqvist like he didBoston’s Tim Thomas? So far, Holtby has shown that he can stay in any game and give his team a chance to win.

 

New York Rangers

A 5 dimes review of game two shows that the Rangers are going to have the same problem with the Capitals that the Bruins did. The Capitals have found another rookie goalie that is performing well in the playoffs.Washington wants to avoid the same mistakes it made with Semyon Varlomov as it develops Braden Holtby. The Rangers, in the meantime, are still trying to figure this Holtby kid out. This series will come down to goaltending, and the Rangers have a lot of confidence in their guy between the pipes.

 

The Bottom Line

NHL fans inWashington know that the Rangers are not a timid hockey team by any stretch of the imagination. The Rangers will come into game three and start pounding the Capitals like any good playoff team would do. But no matter how much the Rangers pound the Capitals,New York still has to beat Holtby. That has proven to be a very formidable challenge.

 

Pick: New York Rangers

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