The Washington Capitals (50-28-8-4) have done the job at Madison Square Garden and guaranteed themselves at least a split of the first two games of this series. If they can win Game 2 as well, the New York Rangers (57-24-2-5) will be in a boatload of trouble.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Rangers were -158 favorites on Thursday night for Game 1 of this series, and the oddsmakers are taking the leap of faith that they will get the job done in Game 2 by a bigger margin. New York is set at -165 at the open, though we wouldn't be surprised if that number came down just a bit knowing how evenly matched Game 1 of this series turned out to be.
GOALIE REPORT
It's not often that you can say that someone outplayed Henrik Lundqvist in a playoff game, but Braden Holtby did just that.
Lundqvist committed the cardinal sin of allowing a goal with just two seconds left in regulation, the de facto silencer to an MSG crowd which was preparing itself for overtime. Still, the Swede stopped 27-of-29 shots to start this series, which isn't bad in a nutshell.
Holtby though, was awesome, particularly early on in the game. He held the Rangers scoreless in a 12-shot first period, and he ultimately gave up just one goal on 32 shots for the night.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"He's a rare talent in this league. He's very similar to Mark Messier. Those rare talents that can play a very heavy game and intimidate you with speed. He can intimidate you with his skill and his physicality." – Capitals head coach Barry Trotz on Alexander Ovechkin, who was largely the best player on the ice in Game 1 of this series
SITUATIONAL BETTING
The zebras kept their whistles in their pockets on Thursday night, and the end result was just a total of four power plays. Still, Ovie was the one who came up with the really big goal, the power play strike that got the scoring going right at the end of the first period.
Keep in mind as well that Washington was very good at the end of all three periods of play on Thursday, so taking a late flier on the Caps in live betting after the last commercial break of the period might not be a bad idea.
PROP TALK
Ovie had a quiet opening round series against the Islanders, but all of a sudden against the Rangers, he has come alive. He had a goal and an assist, and he was all over the place all night long.
He now has three goals in eight games in the postseason, and we have to think that there is more coming, though obviously, getting one past Lundqvist is going to be tough.
ANALYSIS & PREDICTION
The bottom line in this game is that we just love the price we're getting on the Capitals. Yes, we still believe that New York is the better of these two teams, and the fact of the matter is that we still believe the Rangers are going to find a way to win this series.
Still, the percentages as we see it lean towards Washington. When you can get a loose playing team with the best player on the ice and a hot goalie at +145 in a playoff game, you can't just leave it alone.
Washington 3, New York 2
BookMaker opened the odds for this Saturday game before anyone else on the internet. New York was set at -165, and the total chimed in at 5. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly interface on your smartphone or tablet provides an easy way to place bets on the go. 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 Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers will start at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 2, 2015 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. The contest will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
