The Washington Capitals (48-27-12) edged a step closer towards the second round NHL playoff berth with a win over the New York Islanders (49-30-8) on Thursday and are hoping to get the job done by securing a Game 6 road victory at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. With the New York Rangers already in the second round waiting to take on the winner of the Capitals-Islanders series, will the Capitals book their place in the second round, or will the Islanders ruin those plans and set us up for a winner-takes-all clash in Game 7? Read on to find out in the online NHL odds preview we’ve prepared for you below.
Venue: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2015
Time: 6:00 PM ET
TV: NBC
Series Standing: Capitals lead the series 3-2
Money Line: Islanders -130
Capitals vs Islanders NHL Odds Preview and Game Analysis
For all their talent, it’s still hard to wrap my ahead around the fact that the Isles suffered a 5-1 ice-meltdown at the hands of the red-hot Caps. Still, such are the benefits and disadvantages of the postseason games—any mistakes made by even the best of teams rarely go unpunished. And that, I believe, was the story for Isles on Thursday, as the only takeaways from the loss were the lone goal scored by Josh Bailey in opening period and Michal Neuvirth stopping all the 6 shots sent to him after starting netminder Jaroslav Halak allowed 5 goals in 35 shots for the 3 quarters he played.
As for their opponents, it was a great day in the office for the Caps as they produced one of the most all-rounded games of the season, squashing New York’s scoring chances, while capitalizing on their own. Evgeny Kuznetsov led the goalanza with a pair of goals and an assist, with Jason Chimera, Karl Alzner and Brooks Laich also lighting the lamp (including two assists from Chimera and Alzner), plus two more helpers from Jay Beagle and Marcus Johansson. Meanwhile, Braden Holtby, who made 21 saves from the 22 shots he faced, paced their defense.
Three hours to game time. #Isles pic.twitter.com/RSxsSIJn2K
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) April 25, 2015
Fortunately for the Islanders, the Caps have been kind-of shaky in their afternoon games, going 4-5-1 in such games during the regular season and suffering a 2-1 OT defeat in Game 3 that was played at the Nassau Coliseum. Furthermore, whether it’s pure coincidence or a crucial trend, it is worth noting that the Capitals have lost all of their last 4 games played on Saturday. Bearing such issues in mind, New York’s supporters should feel buoyed of their chances of getting the win this afternoon.
Key Betting Trends
- Washington is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games
- New York is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games
- Washington is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games on the road
- New York is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games at home
- Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games against the Islanders
- New York is 5-10 SU in its last 15 home games against Washington
- Washington is 5-1 in its last 6 road games vs. a team with a home winning % greater than .600
- The total has gone UNDER in 8 of New York’s last 11 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York’s last 6 home games against Washington
- The UNDER is 4-0 in New York’s last 4 games after allowing 5 or more goals in their previous game
- The UNDER is 8-1 in Washington’s last 9 games after scoring 5 or more goals in their previous game