The Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers have gotten awfully familiar with one another over the course of the last few seasons. The Rangers won series between these two both in 2012 and 2013, while the Caps took care of New York in five games in 2011.
The two will meet once again with a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals on the line starting Thursday night.
SERIES SCHEDULE
Game 1: Washington @ New York (4/30, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN)
Game 2: Washington @ New York (5/2, 12:30 p.m. ET, NBC)
Game 3: New York @ Washington (5/4, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN)
Game 4: New York @ Washington (5/6, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN)
Game 5: Washington @ New York (5/8, 7:00 p.m. ET, NBCSN, If Necessary)
Game 6: New York @ Washington (5/10, Time & Network TBD, If Necessary)
Game 7: Washington @ New York (Date, Time & Network TBD, If Necessary)
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Rangers are understandably the favorites in this series. The Caps were pushed to the brink by the Islanders just a week ago, while New York had no problems dismissing Pittsburgh. The margin though, is relatively thin at -180 in favor of the Blueshirts, which is something to keep an eye on as this series progresses.
KEY PLAYERS
Mats Zuccarello is such an important member of the Rangers. He's a fantastic penalty killer, and can stick his nose into the middle of any play. Yes, he only had two assists in the five games against the Penguins, but he's that dirty type of grinder who helps his team win playoff series.
Zuccarello is out indefinitely with a head injury, and he hopes to be back somewhere along the way here against the Caps. If he isn't, the Rangers could quietly be in some trouble.
For Washington, there's no place to go but Alexander Ovechkin. He had a good series against the Islanders with two goals and three assists, though his -3 in the +/- category is a bit bothersome. Still, Ovie has largely gone MIA in these series against the Rangers in the past, and he is going to have to exorcize those demons for Washington to spring this upset.
KEY STATS
1: The number of goals which Henrik Lundqvist allowed against the Penguins in four of the five games in that series. He had at least a .957 save percentage in each of those wins, unbelievable numbers by any standards.
47: The number of penalty minutes the Capitals took in the entire series against the Islanders. Only committing 21 total minors in seven games is impressive, as was allowing just 18 power plays on those infractions. Staying out of the sin bin is going to be crucial for Washington.
ANALYSIS & PREDICTION
The Caps have probably run their course in this series. Barry Trotz hasn't proven much of anything to us as a coach in the playoffs, and he seemed rather stubborn when it came to his tactics against the Islanders in seven games.
Playing on the road is going to be a killer for a Washington team which just didn't look good at the Coliseum for the most part in its last series, and after it loses these first two at the Garden, its season should basically be over with.
New York Rangers in 5 games
The NHL spreads for all of the games in this series will be first available at BookMaker Sportsbook. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for the NHL playoffs using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly interface on your smartphone 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! The series between the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers will start on Thursday, April 30, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 will be played at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY, while Games 3, 4 and 6 will take place at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C.
