The Washington Capitals host the Montreal Canadiens, Saturday April 17, as the Capitals try to avoid dropping two straight in the best of seven series. The Canadiens won Game 1, 3-2 (OT) as +252 underdogs. NHL oddsmakers at SPORTSBETTING.com have the Capitals as -330 moneyline favorites over the Canadiens (+210) with the over/under set at 6 goals . Be sure to get your 2010 NHL Playoffs: 2010 NHL Playoffs: Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals Game 2 Odds & Prediction in now at SPORTSBETTING.com
The Canadiens got goals from Mike Cammalleri, to open up the scoring, and Scott Gomez tied it up in the third. The overtime winner was scored by Tomas Plekanec. Goalie Jaroslav Halak was spectacular in stopping 45 shots, but knows there’s lots more hockey to play. "It's only Game 1 and we are still really far away. Every game is a different game, like they always say. We just need to get ready for Saturday. We just need try to do the same thing as we did (Thursday) ." Montreal forward Brian Gionta finished the regular season with goals in three straight and picked up an assist on the game-tying goal by Gomez on Thursday. Gomez had three assists in his last two regular-season games. Defenseman Hal Gill had a game-high nine blocked shots in the opener. Gill has plenty of experience playing against Ovechkin, he was on the blue line of the Penguins when they beat the Capitals in seven games of the Eastern Conference Semifinals en route to winning last season's Stanley Cup."You can't frustrate a guy like that for very long," Gill said. "You always need to know where he is and what he's up to since he can turn it on at any time. He's such a dynamic player that it's not about one of us being ready to shut him down, but the whole team."
The Capitals scorers were Joseph Corvo and Nicklas Backstrom but couldn’t get anything going in overtime. Alexander Ovechkin played over 26 minutes in the opener without registering a shot on goal , and coach Bruce Boudreau was blunt in saying his superstar had to bring more to the table. To his credit, Ovi didn't disagree."I just have to play better," Ovechkin said. "I don't know why, but I didn't feel that power or something, I don't know what. Maybe it was the first game and before the game I said everybody is nervous, shaky and too excited. This is the playoffs and this is a fun time."I had opportunities to shoot the puck and didn't shoot. I tried to create some moments, but I think it would be better if I played simpler to try to get some results." Washington has won five of the nine playoff series in which it lost Game 1.
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Under is 3-1-1 in the last 5 meetings in Washington.
- Canadiens are 5-2 in their last 7 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game.
- Canadiens are 5-2 in their last 7 games as a road underdog.
- Capitals are 5-1 in their last 6 Saturday games.
- Capitals are 19-7 in their last 26 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game.
- Capitals are 13-5 in their last 18 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
- Capitals are 23-9 in their last 32 games as a favorite of -201 or greater.
Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals
When: Saturday April 17, 2010 7:00 PM ET
Line: SPORTSBETTING.com
Pick: Caps -330
Point-Spreads.com 2010 NHL Playoffs: Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals Game 2 Odds & Predictions
The Bottom Line: The Caps will play harder tonight, they don’t want to go down 0-2 heading into Montreal. Be sure to get your 2010 NHL Playoffs: Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals Game 2 Odds & Predictions in now at SPORTSBETTING.com and Cash in with sign-up bonuses, weekly reload bonuses and free payouts at SPORTSBETTING.com, where betting is safe, secure and easy.
