Rangers Host Capitals for Game 7 Showdown
The Washington Capitals visit the New York Rangers Wednesday night for the decisive Game 7 of their NHL Eastern Conference semifinal best of seven series.
The current best line for Washington is +160 and for New York is -170. The goal total is sitting on 4.5 and is -130.
Alex Ovechkin the star center for the Washington Capitals is very confident his team will win. So confident, he has guaranteed the victory. He also told Henrik Lundqvist the after Game 1 that he would be doing things he did in Game 1 all series long, of course, we know that has not happened.
Lundqvist has been more than up to the task against the Capitals and Ovechkin. After a 4-3 victory Sunday, the netminder from Sweden is now 13-3 with a save percentage of .955 in his past 16 elimination games.
On the night, he stopped 42 Washington shots and a 15-minute Washington onslaught where the Capitals put 32 straight shot attempts on net without allowing the Rangers one.
Lundqvist has won 9 straight elimination games at Madison Square Garden. It is tough to beat him on any ice and next to impossible at home.
The 15-minute run by Washington was a huge concern for the Rangers. Despite controlling the possession for the majority of the series, New York was dominated on Sunday in that department.
New York jumped ahead 4-1 during the last period but then went into its shell and barely squeaked out a win.
If the Rangers want to win, they will need to use speed and re-tilt the ice in their favor and set a quick pace during Game 7. Putting bodies in front of Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby will also help the Rangers. He looked a bit off center with the mess of bodies in front of him during the game on Sunday.
A seventh game is not surprising with these two teams. Three of the past four playoff series the two teams have faced one another have gone the distance. New York has won the past two 2-1 in 2012 and 5-0 in 2013. This should be exciting to watch.
In the history of the NHL playoffs, 155 series have gone to Game 7. The home team is 96-59 in those games for a winning percentage of 62%. In the playoffs this season, the home team in Game 7 is 2-0, with the Capitals winning their Game 7 in round one versus the Islanders and Tampa Bay winning its Game 7 in round one against the Red Wings.
