Rangers Favored Over Capitals in NHL Matchup
Tomorrow (Saturday, May 12) the New York Rangers can look forward to arguably the most important game of their NHL season so far, when they take on the Washington Capitals in Game 7 of their seven-game series, where the winners will progress to the NHL Eastern Conference finals, and the losers will sob.
Even though they failed to capitalize on Wednesday's game, the New York Rangers have been laid by top online bookmaker Pinnacle Sports as the betting favorites this weekend. Part of the reason is that the New Yorkers will have the advantage of playing in front of their home crowd at Madison Square Garden.
New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals Odds
| Handicap | Money Line | Total Goals | |
| H New York Rangers | -1.5 3.270 | 1.719 Under | 4.5 2.150 |
| A Washington Capitals | +1.5 1.402 | 2.280 Over | 4.5 1.800 |
The Rangers let the pressure get to them in Wednesday's game, when they failed to turn their 3-2 lead in the series into a one-way ticket to the Eastern Conference finals. They had no answer for the Capitals who played hard and fast to win the game and tie the series at 3-3. Hence the importance of Saturday's game.
New York Rangers Game Strategy
Add to that the fact that statistically the Rangers have won their last four Game 7 matchups at Madison Square Garden, which bodes well for the team hoping to reach and win the NHL Eastern Conference finals and move on to and win their fifth Stanley Cup. But first they must dispatch the Washington Capitals.
To do so, there is no doubt that the Rangers will build up the excitement and thus support of the Madison Square Garden crowd by playing fast and energetically. They will also block their goal at every opportunity as well as all possible shooting lanes in order to shut out the Capitals.The team will also aim to score first, because statistically they are 0-4 when their rivals have scored first.
Washington Capitals Game Strategy
What the Capitals will be aiming to do on Saturday is forget about the unfriendly crowd, and focus instead on the fact they've made it this far this season, and deserve to make it to the Eastern Conference finals and beyond. They have developed a mental strength in the playoffs that they lacked in the regular season, which they must retain this weekend.
And like their rivals, they need to block shots and protect their goal at all costs. One player who has proved to be excellent in this regard is Alex Ovechkin, who has evolved from a goal scorer into a very effective shot blocker. So if Washington can keep their cool on Saturday and focus on playing a tight game, they have a good chance of taking down the New Yorkers.
