Few figured at the outset of this series that the New York Rangers (58-26-2-5) were going to find themselves on the brink of elimination here in Game 5 of the Metropolitan Division Finals. Give the Washington Capitals (52-29-8-4) credit though, as they’ve done a fantastic job taking care of business with gritty, hardnosed play.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Rangers were actually favored at the close of Game 4, which was a little bit surprising considering how well the Caps had played at home here in the second season. Washington made them pay, winning 2-1, and they have now found a way to outwork New York for three one-goal wins.
Still, with the Blueshirts facing elimination, a spread similar to the -174 of Game 2 isn't out of the question.
GOALIE REPORT
Would you believe that Braden Holtby has lowered his GAA down to just 1.48 here in these playoffs? He's starting to go on a similar run to what he had in 2012 when Washington fell just short of the Eastern Conference Finals when he went 7-3-4 with a 1.95 GAA.
The best part of this for the Caps is that Holtby is standing toe-to-toe with Henrik Lundqvist. The Swede is playing his heart out in this series and in these playoffs, but amazingly, a man with a 1.64 GAA through nine games is just 5-4 for his efforts and stuck on the verge of watching his season come to a close.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"There's no shock. It's disappointment. They're nothing really to figure out. We just need to score." – New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist on what needs to be done to stay alive in this series on Friday
SITUATIONAL BETTING
The common thread in this series has been fighting back. The only times that a team has scored two straight goals in this series were back in Game 2 when New York scored twice in the first period and in Game 4 when the Caps scored both the game-tying goal and the game-winner in succession. Typically, a team which allows a goal becomes a huge underdog, and there are fantastic prices available in live betting. It's definitely an arbitrage situation if you play your cards right and this series stays close.
PROP TALK
You hate to just make a blanket statement that stars aren't going to score in this series, but go back and look at all of the goal scorers. New York has gotten goals from Derick Brassard twice, Chris Kreider and Dan Boyle. Washington has gotten them from Evgeny Kuznetsov, Alexander Ovechkin, Jay Beagle and two from Andre Burakovsky. You're not seeing a lot of huge names here. Even if a man like Ovie does score a goal, there's still a lot of winning bets. It's hard to lay that -300 chalk or so on a man to not score a goal, but in this series, you'd be rolling in cash if you just bet against everyone available in every game.
ANALYSIS & PREDICTION
We really wonder if the Rangers are just tired. They’ve played a ton of hockey over the course of the last 16 months or so, and the fact that they continue to play these one-goal games is insane. Nine games have all been decided by just one goal.
This really plays into the hands of the chippy Caps. Expect to see more physical play and more good play from Washington's middling lines. If that turns out to be the case, this series could be as good as over with.
Washington 2, New York 1
BookMaker will open the odds for this Friday game before anyone else on the internet. 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 5 of the series between the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers will start at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday, May 8, 2015 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. The contest will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network.
