Leafs vs. Capitals Game 5 Pick
Can the Washington Capitals finally take control of their series with the Toronto Maple Leafs when the two meet in D.C. in Game 5 tonight at 7PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Washington is the favorite at home, as the Capitals are getting odds of -210 to win, while the Maple Leafs are getting a money line of +175 to win. The over/under total for the game is listed at 5.5 goals.
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Washington evened the series on Wednesday night with a 5-4 win on the road in Game 4. All four games in this series have been decided by one goal, with each team picking up one win at home and one win on the road. Washington comes into today’s game at 57-19-10 at home and 33-7-3 at home. Toronto is now 42-28-16 overall and 20-14-9 on the road.
The Capitals got the win on Wednesday behind a four-goal first period. Tom Wilson scored twice while T.J. Oshie and Alex Ovechkin also found the net. The Maple Leafs would get the score to 4-3 in the third, but Oshie added his second goal, which proved to be the game-winner a minute later. Frederik Andersen really struggled in net, saving just 22-of-27 shots faced.
Bet on Maple Leafs vs. Capitals
I really don’t like Washington being such a big favorite in a game, knowing their history of playoff letdowns, but I have to believe the Capitals will come to play tonight. They have very skilled scorers and more scoring options than Toronto. Their issue is not utilizing their killer instinct when they have a chance. Toronto isn’t shying away and the Maple Leafs won’t lay down tonight, but they aren’t getting the kind of goalie play I would like to see in order to pick them for another road upset.
NHL PLAYOFFS PREDICTION: WASHINGTON CAPITALS -210