Capitals vs. Bruins Betting Odds – Will Boston be Eliminated?

Carrie Stroup here with your Capitals vs. Bruins betting odds and this evening (April 25, 2012) we have the potential for the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Bruins to be eliminated.  This could get interesting.  Bet this game at Sportsbook.com and receive up to $250 in FREE CASH NOW.

Sportsbook.com Line: Boston -190 & 5 over -125

The most competitive series of the postseason reaches its pinnacle as the surprising Washington Capitals look to upend the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins in Beantown on Wednesday night.

To get an idea for just how even this series has been, look no further than the key numbers. Amazingly, this is the first time in the history of the NHL Playoffs that the first six games of a series have each been decided by one goal. Through six contests, each team has scored the exact same number of goals (14), with three games going to overtime. Also, the road team has won four of six games in this series, with the Bruins lone home win coming in a 1-0 overtime victory in Game 1. The Capitals won Game 5 in Boston on Saturday 4-3, but squandered an opportunity to close out the series on home ice the next day, falling 4-3 in overtime. The Bruins are no strangers to this pressure-filled elimination game, becoming the first team in NHL history to win three Game 7s en route to a Stanley Cup last season. The Caps have played in four Game 7s since 2008, and, true to their long history of playoff disappointments, won only once (but all four of those were at home, while this will be on the road). Because this series has been so evenly matched, it makes little sense to lay 1-to-2 odds on the Bruins in this spot. Conversely, its hard to imagine the Capitals matching the poise and composure of the defending Cup champs. Expect the pace of this game to mimic that of Games 1 and 2—with both teams playing a tight checking, mistake-free style to minimize turnovers.

For the Capitals, the story of this series has undoubtedly been the stellar play of 22-year-old rookie netminder Braden Holtby. The Caps looked to be in serious trouble heading into the playoffs with each of their top two goaltenders out with injuries, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Holtby has held the Bruins to one goal in three of six games, posting an impressive .935 SV Pct. and showing a sense of poise and composure well beyond his years.

He hasn’t done it alone though. After struggling for much of the season, Washington’s young shutdown D-pairing of Karl Alzner and John Carlson has stepped up tremendously for the Caps. Not only do they lead the team in ice time, Alzner and Carlson have largely held Boston’s top scorers in check in this series. The Capitals have had 10 different players score goals in this series, led by RW Alexander Semin’s three tallies.

The Bruins top scorers have been frustrated all series by the tight checking and excellent shot blocking of the Capitals. The team’s three leading scorers (Tyler Seguin, Brad Marchand and Milan Lucic) have combined for just two goals in six games. The 20-year-old Seguin, did, however, pick a great moment to score his first goal of the series—scoring three minutes into overtime of Game 6 to keep the Bruins alive.

Tim Thomas—last year’s Conn Smythe Trophy winner—has been good, but not great for the B’s in this series. The 38-year-old veteran let in a soft goal over his glove side to Troy Brouwer with under two minutes to play in Game 5 to give the Caps a 3-2 series lead. Look for Thomas to have a statement game on Wednesday when his team needs him the most.

- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter