2009 NHL Playoffs: NY Rangers vs Washington Capitals Game 3

Written by Scott Burgess

Monday, 20 April 2009

The NY Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist has been cool as a cucumber in net going up against the high powered offense of the Washington Capitals, who wish they had a decent goalie. The underdog NY Rangers have a commanding 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference playoffs as the action now heads to Madison Square Garden tonight, April 20. NHL oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com have the Capitals as -130 moneyline favs over the Rangers (+105) with the over/under posted at 5.5 goals. Be sure to get your 2009 NHL Playoffs NY Rangers vs Washington Capitals Prediction in now at Sportsbook.com

The Capitals aren’t getting the offense that made them one of the hottest teams in the league. Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green haven't scored a goal in the two games; the Caps have only three goals, overall, and one at even strength. Ovechkin led the league with 56 goals and 110pts during the regular season and has been held to 2pts. The big reason for their losses is goalie Jose Theodore who lost game 1 and has a 4.07 GAA, he gave up four goals on 21 shots. For game 2 they went with rookie Simeon Varlamov and he did a fine job in his sixth NHL start and first in the playoffs. The Rangers Ryan Callahan scored the lone goal 7:44 into the game on the Rangers' second shot. Goalie Varlamov finished with 23 saves and has an upper hand for tonight's game. The Caps were heavy favorites in their last three matchups against the Rangers, but the Rangers have beaten them three straight, overall.

The Rangers netminder has stopped a total 67 of 70 shots, including 35 on Saturday, to go 2-0 in the playoffs with a 1.50 GAA. Considering he’s facing the NHL's leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin other offensive stars such as Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom, throw in Mike Green, the league leader in goals and points among defensemen in the regular season, and Lundqvist's task seems even more daunting. The Rangers offense has connected for five goals thanks to Scott Gomez, Markus Naslund, Nik Antopov, Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan. They’ve scored two of their five goals on the power play and their penalty kill has been good allowing two goals in two games or 10 kills. The Rangers will welcome the Caps with open arms, to MSG, where they’ve won eight of their final nine games. Of the 291 previous NHL playoffs series that started 2-0, only 37 teams have come back from an 0-2 deficit to win the best of seven series. The Rangers have allowed one team to come back from an 0-2 start in a best of seven series.

Recent Trends to Consider:

Home team is 23-9-1 in the last 33 meetings.
Capitals are 1-8 in the last 9 meetings in New York.
Rangers are 4-0 in their last 4 home games.
Rangers are 5-0 in their last 5 vs. Eastern Conference.
Rangers are 4-0 in their last 4 games following a win.
Rangers are 5-0 in their last 5 vs. a team with a winning record.
Rangers are 5-0 in their last 5 overall.
Rangers are 10-1 in their last 11 Conference Quarterfinals games.
Capitals are 1-4 in their last 5 playoff games as a favorite.

2009 NHL Playoffs NY Rangers vs Washington Capitals
When: Mon, April 20, 2009 7:00 PM ET
Line: Sportsbook.com
Pick: Rangers +105

Point-Spreads.com 2009 NHL Playoffs NY Rangers vs Washington Capitals

The Bottom Line: Goalies can win or lose a game, but the difference is the Rangers goalie will win them games. MSG is crazy come playoff hockey time and you can count on Rangers fans being the sixth man out there. Go Rangers! Be sure to get your 2009 NHL Playoffs NY Rangers vs Washington Capitals Prediction in now at Sportsbook.com and receive a 10% sign-up bonus on your initial deposit!

Last Updated ( Monday, 20 April 2009 )

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