Leafs vs. Capitals Game 1 Pick
Will the Washington Capitals have any trouble taking care of the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1 of their playoff series tonight at 7PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Capitals are the clear favorite tonight, as they are getting odds of -240 to win, while the Leafs are getting odds of +215 at home. The over/under total is listed at 5.5 goals. These two met three times this season, with the Capitals winning two of the three games. They have won seven of their last eight against Toronto.
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Washington is the top seed in the East and the Metropolitan region of the playoffs. The Capitals were 55-19-8 on the season, racking up 118 points. They were an impressive32-7-2 at home, which was the best in the NHL. The Capitals put up 263 goals while allowing 182. Washington also won eight of its last 10 entering in the playoffs. Nicklas Backstrom led the team in points with 86 while Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie each had a team-high 33 goals. Braden Holtby had a 2.07 GAA while stopping 92.5 percent of the shots he faced.
Toronto earned the final Wild Card spot in the East by going 40-27-15 on the season for 95 total points. The Leafs were 19-14-8 in road games while racking up 251 goals and allowing 242 on the season. Toronto struggled to end the season, losing three of their last four games. Auston Matthews led the team in points (69) and goals (40) while Nazem Kadri added 32 goals this season. Frederik Andresen is the goalie. He had a 2.67 GAA while stopping 91.8 percent of the shots.
Bet on Maple Leafs vs. Capitals
The Capitals are known for their playoff letdowns, but they are too good to lose this opener tonight. Toronto has the ability to score with Washington, but the Leafs don’t have the same quality of goaltending. The Leafs allowed far too many goals this season and that will be the major weakness against a high-scoring Washington team.
NHL PLAYOFFS PREDICTION: WASHINGTON CAPITALS -240