Wednesday May 6,2015 : NHL Odds: Caps Can Put Stranglehold on Rangers
The New York Rangers went into the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the 13/4 favourites, but they're already down 2-1 in their Eastern Conference semifinal against the Washington Capitals. Game 4 takes place Wednesday night (7:30 PM ET, Sportsnet) in DC.
Washington was a 9/1 underdog to win the Cup after needing the full seven games to eliminate the New York Islanders in the first round. But in what's been a very close series thus far, the Caps have won twice by a single goal, including Monday's 1-0 victory as –115 home favourites. The Rangers have now played 10 straight postseason games where the margin of victory was one goal.
All those close games have been poison to Rangers fans betting on the puck line. New York has a 1-7 ATS playoff record for a deficit of six betting units, while Washington is close to breaking even at 5-5 ATS (minus-0.33 units). If you're betting the totals, the under looks like a sharp pick with both clubs keeping the scores down; the under is 2-0-1 in this series after going a combined 8-3 for these two teams in the opening round.