In spite of the fact that they nearly let their season get away on Sunday night, the New York Rangers (60-26-2-5) have held on to force a do-or-die Game 7 with the Washington Capitals (52-30-9-4) at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
ODDS ANALYSIS
New York has been a big time favorite at home every step of the way in this series, and we expect to see that continue on Wednesday. In fact, considering the fact that this is a Game 7, the Rangers could be even healthier than the -174 they were in Game 2, which was the biggest spread this series has seen.
GOALIE REPORT
Henrik Lundqvist deserves a medal just for withstanding the pressure he faced on Sunday night. After a first period in which his team outshot the Caps 20-17, the Rangers were outshot 28-8 the rest of the way. Though Lundqvist did allow three goals, two of which came in the third, he had every answer when it mattered down the stretch, namely on the Washington power play in the last few minutes thanks to a delay of game penalty.
Braden Holtby wasn't so lucky. He allowed two goals on just four shots in the third, and for the second time in the last two periods, he allowed a goal in the last few seconds of a period. On Sunday, it was Chris Kreider who scored at 19:59 of the first to essentially give the Rangers enough of a lead to hang onto for the rest of the night.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"The game turned from them not having any life at all to them just being all over us. We found a way, and we needed all four." – Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist on how the Blueshirts closed out Game 6
SITUATIONAL BETTING
After going three games without either side scoring a power play goal, the Rangers found paydirt in Game 6 with the Kreider goal.
Washington looked really dangerous in the last three minutes of regulation as well, much of which was played effectively 6-on-4 with the extra attacker on the ice. Clearly, staying out of the box is going to be paramount on Wednesday night.
PROP TALK
You just have to wonder if Rick Nash and Martin St. Louis have woken up. On what was arguably their best shift of the playoffs, they hooked up for a goal early in the third period to give New York a 3-1 lead. It was Nash's first goal since Game 2 against Pittsburgh, and it was St. Louis' fourth point of the playoffs.
Both could all of a sudden be set to shine in Game 7.
ANALYSIS & PREDICTION
If there was a gun to our head, we would pick New York to win Game 7. However, there fortunately isn't a gun put to our head, and even if we do believe that the Rangers are winning this game slightly better than 50 percent of the time, they don't have the value in Game 7.
Washington has already experienced a Game 7 this postseason, and we think it’s going to be extremely undervalued in this one.
Don't be shocked if the Caps have another flurry in them like they had at the tail end of Game 6, and if that's the case, they might do just enough to eliminate the Presidents' Trophy winners.
Washington 2, New York 1
The NHL lines for this Wednesday game will first be available at BookMaker Sportsbook. Minute-by-minute puck-lines, totals, moneylines and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker's new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here, and start wagering today! Game 7 of this series between the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers will commence on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. The contest will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network.
