It’s do or die for one team tonight, Wednesday April 28, as the Washington Capitals host the Montreal Canadiens to see who moves on to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. The Canadiens have won two straight, both as underdogs, and outscored the Caps 6-2. NHL oddsmakers at BODOG.com have the Capitals as -300 moneyline home favorites over the Canadiens (+215) 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 7 Odds & Prediction in now at BODOG.com
The Canadiens forced a Game 7 thanks to the outstanding goaltending of Jaroslav Halak, who stopped 54 of 55 shots for a .987 SVPCT. The Habs can be the ninth team out of 32 to can knock out the No.1 seed. The most recent instance of No. 8 prevailing over No. 1 was in the 2009 Western Conference Quarterfinals when No. 8 Anaheim upset the No. 1 Sharks, the Presidents' Trophy winner, in six games. The Habs must stop pucks from getting on net; they are allowing too many pucks to hit the net which makes Halak have to work harder. Eventually they are going to go in. It wouldn't be wrong to predict for that to happen Wednesday because you have to wonder how long players like Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, Mike Knuble and Mike Green can be held down. The Habs are also keeping the Caps powerplay in check, the Caps are 1-30 in this series. They’ve done a good job at holding back Alexander Semin. Semin leads all players in the playoffs with 36 shots on goal, but he is tied for last in goals with a big fat zero. They don’t want this guy scoring because it will give the Caps a boost.
The Capitals have all the pressure on them and Washington has all the pressure on Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin is the only one who bears the weight of the franchise on his shoulders. If he performs like the superstar he is, he’ll be praised, if they lose, there will be questions about his reputation. "Well, it's not only for me, it's a test for everybody," Ovechkin said. "I think everybody knows how important of a game it is, and it's going to be a huge test for all of us." Ovechkin has 5 goals and 4 assists in the series. He's been as good as advertised for most of the series, but he's also the face of the Capitals' struggles to beat Halak. They need to get in front of Halak to block his view and to distract him; when a goalie is hot and can see everything that’s coming his way, they are hard to beat. Washington defenseman Tom Poti has been ruled out for Game 7 and will be replaced Karl Alzner, from Hershey of the American Hockey League, and it's likely he will be paired with rookie John Carlson. The loss of Poti is a major blow to the Capitals. Poti was averaging over 21 minutes of ice time per game against the Canadiens and was a major part of the Capitals' penalty kill, which is 81.5 percent (22-for-27) in the series. He had 4 assists and was a plus-9 in the series.
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Under is 3-1-1 in the last 5 meetings in Washington.
- Canadiens are 2-5 in their last 7 games as a road underdog of +201 or greater.
- Capitals are 20-8 in their last 28 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game.
- Capitals are 24-10 in their last 34 games as a favorite of -201 or greater.
- Capitals are 14-6 in their last 20 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals
When: Wednesday April 28, 2010 7:00 PM ET
Line: BODOG.com
Pick: Caps -300
Point-Spreads.com 2010 NHL Playoffs: Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals Game 7 Odds & Predictions
The Bottom Line: The Caps should get the win, but I can also see the Canadiens with a huge upset. When in doubt you can’t go wrong with home team. Be sure to get your 2010 NHL Playoffs: Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals Game 7 Odds & Predictions in now at SBGGLOBAL.com and receive a 10% Deposit Bonus and start winning today!
