Saturday's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Preview and Odds
The Stanley Cup Playoffs continue Saturday with three Game 5's - the Lightning and Bruins look to close out on home ice, while the road team has won all four games in the Blue Jackets, Capitals series.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals (-165, 5.5)
Series tied 2-2.
Alex Ovechkin thrilled Washington Capitals fans when his guarantee rang true of the Eastern Conference first-round series being even at two wins apiece against the Columbus Blue Jackets when it returns to the District of Columbia for Game 5 on Saturday afternoon. While Ovechkin altered the course of the series, the Capitals hope to change the narrative of the road team emerging victorious in all four contests thus far.
Washington's top line quieted Nationwide Arena in Thursday's 4-1 victory, with Evgeny Kuznetsov collecting a goal and three assists while Ovechkin notched his third straight multi-point performance by joining Tom Wilson in registering one of each to make good on his guarantee. Now that doubt may shuffle over to Columbus, which saw its first series lead in franchise history erased on home ice after the team "laid an egg" in Game 4 -- in the estimation of coach John Tortorella.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS: Cam Atkinson and former Calder Trophy recipient Artemi Panarin saw their respective 12- and eight-game point streaks come to a halt on Thursday, with the latter looking out of sorts with two penalties after being whistled for just 26 penalty minutes in 81 contests this season. Boone Jenner scored his team's lone goal in Game 4, but the 24-year-old has lamented his team's slow starts after surrendering the first tally in each contest this series. "We want to score the first one, obviously," Jenner said. "It hasn't been like that, but I think our starts have been there. (On Thursday), I don't think it was. That first period, we didn't get much pressure on them and kind of played into their hands a little bit."
ABOUT THE CAPITALS: Defenseman John Carlson has continued his torrid pace following a career-best 68 points (15 goals, 53 assists) during the regular season with an NHL-high seven of his eight points coming on the power play. "He always raises his game in playoffs. ... Pressure doesn't affect him and that's one of his biggest assets and I think that's why we lean on him so heavy in playoffs," Holtby said of the 28-year-old, who is riding a six-game point streak (one goal, nine assists) and has logged 28:10 of ice time in the series. T.J. Oshie scored in the second period on Thursday to give Washington a power-play goal in each of its first four contests in the series and improve to 10-for-29 in the last seven games.
SERIES PRICE (PER SPORTS INTERACTION):
LINE HISTORY: The Capitals opened as -165 home chalk and, as of Saturday morning, that line has yet to move. The total hit betting boards at 5.5 and has also remained at the opening number.
INJURY REPORT:
Blue Jackets - C Alexander Wennberg (Questionable, Upper Body), LW Lukas Sedlak (Out Indefinitely, Head).
Capitals - LW Andre Burakovsky (Questionable, Upper Body).
MATCHUP CHART:
TRENDS:
* Over is 8-0 in Blue Jackets last 8 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
* Over is 4-0 in Capitals last 4 home games.
* Over is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in Washington.
* Road team is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.
New Jersey Devils at Tampa Bay Lightning (-245, 6)
Lightning lead series 3-1.
The Tampa Bay Lightning would like to match their defensive performance from last time out and close out the visiting New Jersey Devils when the teams meet for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference first-round series Saturday afternoon. The Lightning held the Devils to a 5-on-3 power-play goal and limited the opportunities for Hart Trophy candidate Taylor Hall in a 3-1 victory Wednesday that gave them a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
Tampa Bay?s Nikita Kucherov recorded a pair of goals to go along with an assist Wednesday, pushing his point total to nine for the series, and the Lightning hope to continue getting major contributions from their top players to end the Devils? season. New Jersey needs to find a spark offensively as Hall (six) and rookie defenseman Will Butcher (three) are the only players with more than two points in the first four games, but the Devils have thrived in the underdog role this season and a road win Saturday would apply plenty of pressure.
ABOUT THE DEVILS: New Jersey has had plenty of chances on the power play, especially in the last two games, but is 3-for-18 with the man advantage in the series and two of their goals came with a 5-on-3 skater advantage. ?Just couldn?t find some lanes. I think we were fighting it a little bit,? Devils center Travis Zajac told reporters after Game 4. ?We?ll bounce back. We?ve got some good players on (the power play), and it will be a factor next game for us.? Defenseman Sami Vatanen, who averaged more than 23 minutes of ice time in the first three games, did not travel with the team after suffering an upper-body injury in Game 4 - but has not been ruled out for Saturday.
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING: Kucherov also became a physical force in Wednesday?s win as his hit knocked Vatanen out of the game and he avoided a suspension when the league deemed the first contract was to the shoulder. ?Kuch (Wednesday) flexed his muscles,? coach Jon Cooper told reporters. ?... When you?re playing both sides of the puck, you?re contributing offensively, defensively, you?re physical, you?re engaged, it does nothing but lift our team.? Vezina Trophy finalist Andrei Vasilevskiy has been outstanding in the series, stopping 133 of the 142 shots he has faced for a .937 save percentage and 2.26 goals-against average.
SERIES PRICE (PER SPORTS INTERACTION):
LINE HISTORY: The Lightning opened as huge -225 home favorites and that number wasn't high enough for bettors as money rolled in on Tampa, pushing that line up to -245 as of Saturday morning. The total hit the board at 6 and has remained steady.
INJURY REPORT:
Devils - D Sami Vatanen (Doubtful, Head).
Lightning - RW Ryan Callahan (Questionable, Shoulder), LW Adam Erne (Out Indefinitely, Lower Body).
MATCHUP CHART:
TRENDS:
* Devils are 1-4 in their last 5 overall.
* Lightning are 5-1 in their last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Over is 7-0 in Devils last 7 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Over is 3-0-2 in the last 5 meetings in Tampa Bay.
* Devils are 1-6 in the last 7 meetings in Tampa Bay.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins (-185, 5.5)
Bruins lead series 3-1.
The last time Original Six rivals Boston and Toronto met in the postseason, the Bruins needed a miraculous comeback in the final minutes of Game 7 before ousting the Maple Leafs in overtime. Five years later, Toronto is in position of needing a miracle comeback of its own, trailing the Eastern Conference best-of-seven series 3-1 heading into Saturday's Game 5 at Boston's TD Garden.
The Maple Leafs can look to the past for inspiration -- they also trailed the series 3-1 in 2013 before blowing a two-goal lead in the final 90 seconds of Game 7 -- but they are lamenting a missed opportunity in Thursday's 3-1 setback against a Bruins team missing its top-line center. Patrice Bergeron skated on his own Friday, which was called a "positive" by coach Bruce Cassidy, who said he will make a decision on the four-time Selke Trophy winner's status at Saturday's morning skate. Bergeron's line accounted for 20 points in the first two games at TD Garden as Boston steamrolled Toronto by a combined 12-4 margin.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS: Toronto will receive a boost with the return of center Nazem Kadri, a 32-goal scorer during the regular season who received a three-game suspension for a dangerous hit on Boston's Tommy Wingels in the series opener. ?It?s exciting to get back in,? Kadri said. ?I?ve been champing at the bit the last couple of games here. It has been hard to watch knowing you could be out there trying to help and trying to make an impact. I?m just happy the time has come.? Kadri's return will mean a demotion for Tomas Plekanec, who scored the team's only goal Thursday -- his first since he was acquired from Montreal.
ABOUT THE BRUINS: Bergeron, who is up for his fifth Selke Trophy as the game's best defensive forward, collected five assists in the first two games, but with Riley Nash taking his place, Brad Marchand scored a goal and David Pastrnak continued his brilliant play with two assists to bump his series point total up to 11. Goaltender Tuukka Rask has been overshadowed by the offensive exploits through much of the series but he answered the bell in Game 4 by turning aside 31 of 32 shots in what Marchand termed a "phenomenal game. He?s one of the best goalies in the world and he gives us an opportunity to win every night.?
SERIES PRICE (PER SPORTS INTERACTION):
LINE HISTORY: The Predators opened as low as -167 favorites for Game 5 and some early betting action on Nashville pushing that number as high as -200 at some shops. The total hit betting boards at 5.5 and remains at the opening number as of Saturday morning.
INJURY REPORT:
Maple Leafs - C Leo Komarov (Questionable, Lower Body), C Nazem Kadri (Eligibility, Suspension), LW Joffrey Lupul (I-R, Conditioning).
Bruins - C Patrice Bergeron (Questionable, Upper Body), D Brandon Carlo (Out For Season, Ankle), LW Anders Bjork (Out For Season, Shoulder).
MATCHUP CHART:
TRENDS:
* Maple Leafs are 1-6 in their last 7 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Bruins are 21-5 in their last 26 home games.
* Over is 7-1-1 in Maple Leafs last 9 road games.
* Over is 4-0-2 in Bruins last 6 games following a win.
* Home team is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
