Washington Capitals at New York Rangers Game 2 odds, picks and predictions
The Washington Capitals and New York Rangers meet in Game 2 of a best-of-7 Eastern Conference, 1st-round series Tuesday night. The Rangers lead the series 1-0. Puck drop from Madison Square Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook's lines around the Capitals vs. Rangersodds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Capitals and Rangers finished the 1st period 0-0 in Game 1, but Washington allowed three 2nd-period goals in less than a 3-minute span to fall 4-1 Sunday. D Martin Fehervary scored Washington's lone goal as the puck deflected off his skate in front of the net.
New York made it 1-0 thanks to rookie C Matt Rempe, who is listed at 6-foot-7 and 241 pounds and is typically on the ice to be an enforcer rather than a goalscorer. LWs Artemi Panarin and Jimmy Vesey followed suit, and LW Chris Kreider added the Blueshirts' 4th goal in the 3rd period.
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Capitals at Rangers odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:20 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Capitals +220 (bet $220 to win $100) | Rangers -275 (bet $275 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Capitals +1.5 (-125) | Rangers -1.5 (+102)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -106 | U: -114)
Capitals at Rangers projected goalies
Charlie Lindgren (25-16-7, 2.67 GAA, .911 SV%, 6 SO) vs. Igor Shesterkin (36-17-2, 2.58 GAA, .913 SV%, 4 SO)
Lindgren described the Rangers as "deadly" after the Game 1 defeat, but the 30-year-old has found success this season after a loss. Among goalies with at least 50 games played during the regular season, Lindgren sported the No. 1 high-danger unblocked shot attempt SV% (.834) in the NHL.
Shesterkin's .929 career playoff SV% is even superior to the legendary Henrik Lundqvist (.921) and also the highest among the remaining playoff netminders (min. 20 games). The Game 1 victory was his 14th career playoff win, moving him past John Vanbiesbrouck for 6th-most in franchise history.
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Capitals at Rangers picks and predictions
Prediction
Rangers 4, Capitals 2
Moneyline
Consider betting Rangers (-275) in an ML parlay.
NEW YORK (-275) has too much juice to lay on its own, but if you like the VANCOUVER CANUCKS (-154 ML vs. Nashville Predators, 10 p.m. ET) as I do, a 2-team parlay pays out +125.
Puck line/Against the spread
BET RANGERS 1.5 (+102).
Shesterkin has joined the ranks of the all-time playoff greats already with 10 straight home playoff starts with 2 goals or fewer surrendered. Meanwhile, the best goalscorer of our generation LW Alex Ovechkin was held to 0 shots in Game 1 as the Rangers defense swallowed up so many Capitals offensive sets.
The Rangers featured the 3rd-best power play during the regular season (26.42%), so if they are able to get the man advantage in front of their home crowd, I expect them to be able to light the lamp.
The Capitals finished the season admirably to reach the postseason, but their -37-goal differential during the regular season proves that this team is not capable of hanging with a Stanley Cup contender on the road.
Over/Under
BET OVER 5.5 (-104).
The Rangers should be able to get close to this total on their own with all of their offensive weapons. Even D Adam Fox can find the back of the net as the 26-year-old averaged the 4th-most goals per game among defensemen (0.24). Plus, only the Toronto Maple Leafs had more empty-net goals during the regular season than New York (10).
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