Washington Capitals at New York Rangers (-140. 4.5)
THE STORY: John Tortorella has developed a reputation for some fiery interviews. After the New York Rangers dropped a 3-2 decision in Game 4 to level the Eastern Conference semifinal series, Tortorella wasn't too forthcoming during a 27-second post-game press conference. The top-seeded Rangers will look to give their coach a chance to share his thoughts on Monday when they face the Washington Capitals in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden.
TV: 7:30 p.m., NBCS, CBC
ABOUT THE CAPITALS: While defenseman Mike Green netted a power-play goal with 5:48 remaining in the third period, rookie Braden Holtby continues to be the star of the show for seventh-seeded Washington. Although he only made 18 saves in Game 4, Holtby has come up big in denying the Rangers. The young netminder has had a bit of help, as well. Defenseman Jeff Schultz was credited with a team-high nine of his club's 26 blocked shots. "There were a lot of red spiders in front of me," Holtby said of his teammates.
ABOUT THE RANGERS: After a day to cool down, Tortorella talked at length - well, five minutes - to the press on Sunday. He offered praise to Artem Anisimov, who has made his presence felt in this series after registering just three assists in the conference quarterfinals against Ottawa. The 23-year-old Russian scored his second goal of the series in Game 4 and has three points against Washington. Marian Gaborik has gotten untracked after an eight-game goal-scoring drought by tallying for the second straight contest. Rookie Chris Kreider was benched for a significant portion of Game 4 after his poor turnover led to Alex Ovechkin's first-period goal. The former Boston College star logged just 7:34 of ice time.
TRENDS:
- The under is 3-0-4 in the last seven meetings.
- Washington has won four of its last five road games.
- The under is 5-0-5 in New York's last 10.
OVERTIME:
1. New York was up in arms after Ovechkin left his feet and blasted defenseman Dan Girardi in the head during the second period. Ovechkin received a penalty for the play, but the NHL is not expected to administer further punishment, according to multiple reports.
2. Washington isn't shy about playing in close games. Ten of the Capitals' 11 postseason tilts have been decided by one goal - with five of those contests going to overtime.
3. With 29 goals, Ovechkin is one tally shy of tying Peter Bondra for the Capitals' all-time postseason lead. The Russian's 57 points puts him third in franchise history, behind coach Dale Hunter (72) and Mike Ridley (60).
Nashville Predators at Phoenix Coyotes (-115, 5)
THE STORY: Mike Smith has positioned the Phoenix Coyotes on the cusp of history. The netminder recorded his second shutout of the postseason by turning aside all 25 shots in Friday's 1-0 triumph in Game 4. The third-seeded Coyotes, who own a 3-1 edge in the Western Conference semifinal series, will be looking to advance to the next round for the first time in franchise history. Phoenix will try to do precisely that in Game 5 on Monday at Jobing.com Arena.
TV: 10 p.m., NBCS, TSN
ABOUT THE PREDATORS: With his club's back against the wall, coach Barry Trotz declared that there is a "high probability" that Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn return to the ice for Game 5. The pair has been sidelined for the last two contests for violating team rules. Radulov leads the Predators with six points in the postseason while Kostitsyn has chipped in with four. Without the duo, fourth-seeded Nashville mustered just three shots on three power plays in Game 5. "Maybe they could have made a difference, but we will never know that," Trotz said. "The guys that played played well and created lots of chances. We just had to bury one of them, that's all."
ABOUT THE COYOTES: Captain Shane Doan has shown a knack for scoring the timely goal during his 16-year career. After netting the clinching tally in Game 2 of the series, Doan responded with the lone goal in Game 4. With 5:35 remaining in the first period, Doan's backhanded attempt caromed off both defenseman Roman Josi and Pekka Rinne before entering the net. Although Sunday was an off-day for the clubs, defenseman Rostislav Klesla was expected to have a disciplinary hearing with the NHL for his boarding penalty on Nashville wing Matt Halischuk.
TRENDS:
- The under is 3-0-1 in Nashville's last four games as an underdog.
- The Coyotes are 7-1 in their last eight games as a favorite.
- The underdog is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings.
OVERTIME:
1. Nashville's leading scorer Patric Hornqvist continues to be snake-bitten. While logging three official shots on goal in Game 4, the 25-year-old Swede had nine that were blocked or missed the net. Hornqvist, who has just one goal in the playoffs, had 27 tallies this season.
2. While Smith was credited with the shutout, the Coyotes did their best to prevent many scoring chances. Phoenix blocked 16 shots - including four by veteran fourth-liner Daymond Langkow.
THE STORY: John Tortorella has developed a reputation for some fiery interviews. After the New York Rangers dropped a 3-2 decision in Game 4 to level the Eastern Conference semifinal series, Tortorella wasn't too forthcoming during a 27-second post-game press conference. The top-seeded Rangers will look to give their coach a chance to share his thoughts on Monday when they face the Washington Capitals in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden.
TV: 7:30 p.m., NBCS, CBC
ABOUT THE CAPITALS: While defenseman Mike Green netted a power-play goal with 5:48 remaining in the third period, rookie Braden Holtby continues to be the star of the show for seventh-seeded Washington. Although he only made 18 saves in Game 4, Holtby has come up big in denying the Rangers. The young netminder has had a bit of help, as well. Defenseman Jeff Schultz was credited with a team-high nine of his club's 26 blocked shots. "There were a lot of red spiders in front of me," Holtby said of his teammates.
ABOUT THE RANGERS: After a day to cool down, Tortorella talked at length - well, five minutes - to the press on Sunday. He offered praise to Artem Anisimov, who has made his presence felt in this series after registering just three assists in the conference quarterfinals against Ottawa. The 23-year-old Russian scored his second goal of the series in Game 4 and has three points against Washington. Marian Gaborik has gotten untracked after an eight-game goal-scoring drought by tallying for the second straight contest. Rookie Chris Kreider was benched for a significant portion of Game 4 after his poor turnover led to Alex Ovechkin's first-period goal. The former Boston College star logged just 7:34 of ice time.
TRENDS:
- The under is 3-0-4 in the last seven meetings.
- Washington has won four of its last five road games.
- The under is 5-0-5 in New York's last 10.
OVERTIME:
1. New York was up in arms after Ovechkin left his feet and blasted defenseman Dan Girardi in the head during the second period. Ovechkin received a penalty for the play, but the NHL is not expected to administer further punishment, according to multiple reports.
2. Washington isn't shy about playing in close games. Ten of the Capitals' 11 postseason tilts have been decided by one goal - with five of those contests going to overtime.
3. With 29 goals, Ovechkin is one tally shy of tying Peter Bondra for the Capitals' all-time postseason lead. The Russian's 57 points puts him third in franchise history, behind coach Dale Hunter (72) and Mike Ridley (60).
Nashville Predators at Phoenix Coyotes (-115, 5)
THE STORY: Mike Smith has positioned the Phoenix Coyotes on the cusp of history. The netminder recorded his second shutout of the postseason by turning aside all 25 shots in Friday's 1-0 triumph in Game 4. The third-seeded Coyotes, who own a 3-1 edge in the Western Conference semifinal series, will be looking to advance to the next round for the first time in franchise history. Phoenix will try to do precisely that in Game 5 on Monday at Jobing.com Arena.
TV: 10 p.m., NBCS, TSN
ABOUT THE PREDATORS: With his club's back against the wall, coach Barry Trotz declared that there is a "high probability" that Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn return to the ice for Game 5. The pair has been sidelined for the last two contests for violating team rules. Radulov leads the Predators with six points in the postseason while Kostitsyn has chipped in with four. Without the duo, fourth-seeded Nashville mustered just three shots on three power plays in Game 5. "Maybe they could have made a difference, but we will never know that," Trotz said. "The guys that played played well and created lots of chances. We just had to bury one of them, that's all."
ABOUT THE COYOTES: Captain Shane Doan has shown a knack for scoring the timely goal during his 16-year career. After netting the clinching tally in Game 2 of the series, Doan responded with the lone goal in Game 4. With 5:35 remaining in the first period, Doan's backhanded attempt caromed off both defenseman Roman Josi and Pekka Rinne before entering the net. Although Sunday was an off-day for the clubs, defenseman Rostislav Klesla was expected to have a disciplinary hearing with the NHL for his boarding penalty on Nashville wing Matt Halischuk.
TRENDS:
- The under is 3-0-1 in Nashville's last four games as an underdog.
- The Coyotes are 7-1 in their last eight games as a favorite.
- The underdog is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings.
OVERTIME:
1. Nashville's leading scorer Patric Hornqvist continues to be snake-bitten. While logging three official shots on goal in Game 4, the 25-year-old Swede had nine that were blocked or missed the net. Hornqvist, who has just one goal in the playoffs, had 27 tallies this season.
2. While Smith was credited with the shutout, the Coyotes did their best to prevent many scoring chances. Phoenix blocked 16 shots - including four by veteran fourth-liner Daymond Langkow.
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий