If Game 1 was any indication, the series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals is going to be one heck of a fight. These two teams played into overtime in their opening offering, and though the Caps drew first blood thanks to T.J. Oshie's hat trick, hardly anything has been decided yet.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The oddsmakers were always right about the spread in Game 1. The Capitals were favored by slightly less than the value of home ice advantage. That number of around -125 will be apparent throughout this series for sure, as there just isn't a heck of a lot separating the two teams.
The total could be set to rise, though. There were seven goals in Game 1, and though we expect to see a flat 5 once again in this one, the vig is going to creep up for sure.
GOALIE REPORT
This is where we're going to learn a lot about young Matthew Murray. It still doesn't seem like Marc-Andre Fleury will be ready to come back into the lineup from his concussion, and Murray will have to get back in the pipes a game after allowing four goals for his first career playoff loss.
It's not that Murray was bad, as he allowed four goals on 35 shots, but he wasn't dominant, and he looked a little overwhelmed at times against one of the best teams in hockey.
Meanwhile, Braden Holtby continues to be fantastic for the Capitals. He stopped 42-of-45 shots in Game 1, and though that didn't translate into a dominant save percentage or GAA, he got the job done and fought through a rough stretch of 53 seconds in which he let both Ben Lovejoy and Evgeni Malkin score on him.
LIVE BETTING
There was one noticeable absence from the stat sheet for the Penguins in Game 1. Sidney Crosby didn't record a single point, only had one shot on goal and was -3 in the +/- department.
Credit to Washington coach Barry Trotz for consistently putting Oshie out there against Crosby. Not only did the former St. Louis Blues standpoint manage to score three times to cap off the best offensive game of his career, but he also played sterling defense on Crosby.
The Oshie/Alexander Ovechkin/Nicklas Backstrom line went +3, +3 and +2 respectively, and if that dominance against the Crosby line keeps up, the Capitals are ultimately going to advance.
QUICK PICK
We saw a lot of value on Washington in Game 1 with Fleury still not in goal, and we're not stopping here either.
These Capitals just look different from the ones which bowed out of the playoffs prematurely time and time again, and Oshie is a big difference-maker. Put his defensive dominance with the way Holtby has played between the pipes, and there's a really good chance Washington might have the answer for one of the hottest offenses in hockey.
Don't be surprised if Holtby has yet another fantastic game on his home ice to lead the Capitals to the 2-0 series lead, albeit with two wins by relatively small margins.
NHL Odds: Capitals 2, Penguins 1
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! Game 2 of the series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals will start at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 30, 2016 at the Verizon Center. The contest will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
