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Jeremy Perry
Bruins vs. Capitals Prediction, Stanley Cup Round-Robin Odds
The Boston Bruins have to feel like they’ve been jobbed a little bit. The team that was clearly the best in the regular season – they had eight more points than any other team in the Eastern Conference – is now going to either be the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the East. That will be determined on Sunday when they face the Capitals as the loser falls to No. 4 while the winner climbs to No. 3. Which team has the upper hand?
Bruins vs. Capitals NHL Playoff Odds
The Bruins have had plenty of rest for this game and that’s a good they. They have won six straight when playing on three or more days’ rest. They are also 8-3 in their last 11 when scoring two or less in their previous game.
As for the Caps, they are 9-1 in their last 10 Sunday games and 10-3 in their last 13 as an underdog. That’s a good sign since they’re an underdog in this Sunday matchup.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins were having one of the best seasons in franchise history before the hiatus, posting a record of 44-26-12. They were the only team in the entire NHL that had reached 100 points in the standings and they were surely going to be the No. 1 seed in the East. With that, they would have had home-ice advantage throughout the entire playoffs, which would have been quite valuable for a team that was 22-4-9 at home this season.
As it turns out now, the Bruins have lost their first two games since their return from the break and given how the NHL has changed the format, Boston can only be the No. 3 or No. 4 seed. That’s demoralizing. What’s worse has been their performance as they lost 3-2 to Tampa Bay and 4-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers. They averaged 3.24 goals per game this season but have scored a total of three goals in two games. The line of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand haven’t really produced yet and that’s going to be a concern unless they wake up soon.
Washington Capitals
The Capitals have also been a disappointment since the league got back to business. Sure, they’re merely playing exhibition games but similar to Boston, they’ve posted back-to-back losses to the Lightning and Flyers while scoring just three goals in the process. About the only positive is that the loss to Tampa Bay was in overtime.
The play of goaltender Braden Holtby has to be a concern as the team typically only goes as far as he can take them. He had a shaky .897 save percentage this season and is at .898 in his first two games back. He needs to shape up or the Capitals time in the bubble (and playoffs) could be very short-lived.
