NHL Hockey Free Predictions: Washington Capitals vs Montreal Canadiens – Game Four
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Team Records:
Washington: 54-15-13
Montreal: 39-33-10
Washington leads series 2-1
Sportsbook odds:
Capitals: -210 -1.5 (+150) Over 6 (-115)
Canadiens: +175 +1.5 (-170) Under 6 (-105)
Capitals vs. Canadiens Game 4 Preview
Well, you can add psychological profiler to the long list of Alex Ovechkin’s talents. After Game 2 of their series with the Montreal Canadiens, Ovi mentioned to the media that he saw Jarolslav Halak’s hand shaking and that the Capitals were getting inside the head of the Montreal Canadiens goaltender.
Two days later, Halak gave up three goals on the first six shots that he faced, paving the way for the Capitals to take a 2-1 series lead.
The Washington Capitals are now hitting their stride and are looking like the best team in the NHL. After a sluggish Game 1 in the series, questions arose about their preparation, their heart and their ability to get up for the big game.
Those questions have now been answered with two straight victories in which they outplayed their Northern opponents.
Offensively, the Capitals used four second period goals by some lesser known players to chase Jaroslav Halak and to take a raucous home town Montreal crowd completely out of the game.
Brooks Laich and Eric Fehr both registered one goal and one assist, while Alex Ovechkin, Matt Bradley and Boyd Gordon each scored for the Caps.
Although Washington has scored eleven goals in the last two games, their number one power play during the regular season has yet to hit the score sheet in the playoffs.
Defensively, the Capitals were strong, limiting the desperate Canadiens to 27 shots on goal. Seymon Varlamov got the start in goal over a disappointed Jose Theodore and kept up his strong playoff resume with a 26 save effort. Offensively, defensively and finally in net, the Capitals look solid once again.
The Montreal Canadiens had a very good first period of Game 3 but four second period goals against took the life right out of them. Once Washington weathered the Canadiens’ storm, the Habs appeared helpless against the Caps attack.
Montreal needs to find a way to regroup, forget about how they were manhandled just two days ago, keep pressing and hope that Varlamov stumbles.
Effort does not appear to be the problem in this series, team talent does.
The Montreal Canadiens offense looked OK in the first period of Game 2 – they just couldn’t bury their chances. Thomas Plekanec scored their only goal in the third period, a period in which the desperate Canadiens got outshot 15-9.
Goaltending – ya I know!
It is a topic that is beaten to death in the playoffs, but it is the single most important factor. Jaroslav Halak had an off night and his ineptitude took the wind right out of his team’s sails.
It is unclear who will start in goal for the Habs on Wednesday.
What is clear is that the Caps are rolling and it might not matter who is in between the pipes for Montreal.
NHL Betting Trends:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington’s last 6 games
Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Montreal
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Washington is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Montreal’s last 6 games
Montreal is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
Montreal is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
Montreal is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Pick: Washington Capitals
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