The NY Rangers can close out the best of seven series against the Washington Capitals tonight, April24, in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Rangers lead 3-1 and their last game in Washington was a 1-0 victory. NHL oddsmakers at SBGglobal.com have the Capitals as -200 moneyline favs over the Rangers (+170) with the over/under listed at 5 goals. Be sure to get your 2009 NHL Playoffs NY Rangers vs Washington Capitals Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com
The Rangers are getting exception goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist who has all but single-handedly put the Rangers within one victory of advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the third straight year. Washington has outshot (149-99), outscored (8-7) and arguably outplayed New York over the balance of five games, but the Capitals' potent offense found its rhythm only in Game 3's 4-0 win. But the same can be said for the Capitals goalie Simeon Varlamov, who is 1-2 in the series despite allowing only three goals in three games. Varlamov's first significant mistake came Wednesday night – he bobbled a shot in his glove, allowing a rebound that was put into the net – and it was the difference in New York's 2-1 victory. Their top producers are Brandon Dubinsky, Scott Gomez, and Marcus Naslund each with three points, but they don’t have any players with multiple goals. The Rangers have to improve their power play which hasn’t scored a goal in three straight, they are 2 for 18. Their penalty kill has been average giving up 4 for 22, but they can thank their goalie for standing on his head.
The Capitals need to get some production from Alex Ovechkin who finally got his first goal of the series in Game 4. He was asked what message he would write on the message board in the locker room. "Keep your head up. We need support right now," Ovechkin said. "Like last year. Fans were great all season long. Wish us well. Scream loud." Last year in the first round of the playoffs they went down 1-3 to the Flyers and won the next three to force a Game 7 only to lose in overtime. The Caps were shutout by the Rangers during their last home game. The Capitals have averaged 12.5 more shots per game than the Rangers. Twice more than the Rangers in Wednesday's deflating 2-1 loss, Washington rang shots off the frame of the goal. There is still the sense that, as star winger Alex Ovechkin said, "We lost three games, and I think we played good in those three games, but one guy beat our team." That would be the Rangers goalie. Their power play has only four goals in 22 tries, but their penalty kill hasn’t allowed a goal in three straight. Alexander Semin is the Caps top scorer with three goals while five other players have only one goal. The Caps were the third highest scoring team in the regular season, but have just eight goals in four games. Of the 229 teams that trailed an NHL playoff series 3-1, only 20 recovered to win. The last to do so was Montreal against Boston in 2004.
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Rangers are 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
- Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Washington.
- Home team is 15-5 in the last 20 meetings.
- Rangers are 5-12 in the last 17 meetings in Washington.
- Underdog is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
- Rangers are 6-1 in their last 7 overall.
- Rangers are 11-2 in their last 13 Conference Quarterfinals games.
2009 NHL Playoffs NY Rangers vs Washington Capitals
When: Fri, April 24, 2009 7:00 PM ET
Line: SBGglobal.com
Pick: Rangers +170
Point-Spreads.com 2009 NHL Playoffs NY Rangers vs Washington Capitals
The Bottom Line: If Lundqvist can do what he did last game and the Rangers can help by blocking shots, it’ll send the Rangers into the next round. Go Rangers! Be sure to get your 2009 NHL Playoffs NY Rangers vs Washington Capitals Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com and receive a 60% sign-up bonus on your initial deposit
