Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals Game 5 Prediction, Odds
How much do the Habs have left in the tank after a demoralizing 5-2 loss on home ice in Game 4? They looked like they would even the series until a huge hit from Tom Wilson turned the momentum in the Capitals’ favour. A pair of empty netters brought the game to a 5-2 result, but the game was much closer than the scoreboard showed.
The Capitals are the -190 favourite to end the series on Wednesday in Game 5, according to the NHL odds. The game total is opening at an even 6.0 goals with puck drop at 7:00 PM ET from Capital One Arena.
Canadiens vs. Capitals NHL Playoff Betting Odds
The OVER has hit in back-to-back games, but 56 percent of early bettors have put money on the UNDER on Wednesday’s line at 6 goals.
With a 3-1 series lead and home ice advantage on their side, Washington has moved to a -2500 favourite to win the series on our NHL Futures Board. The Habs have been overcoming adversity all year long and have had a chance in each of these four games. This series is far from over, expect a hungry Canadiens squad on Wednesday looking to steal their first road win of the series. Betting on Montreal could see some big returns, with the series going OVER 6.5 games paying out +425.
Three players have scored three goals in this series, but Alex Ovechkin remains the favourite to lead the series in goals at +120. Behind him are Montreal’s Cole Caufield (+270) and Connor McMichael (+350) from the Caps. Caufield has scored in back-to-back games and has scored two of his three on the Habs’ extremely dangerous powerplay.
Montreal Canadiens
With Sam Montembeault’s status up in the air after leaving Game 3 with an injury, the Canadiens are relying on rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes to lead them in their attempt to come back in the series. Dobes looked a bit shaky at times in Game 4, mishandling a loose puck in front of the net, resulting in the Caps taking a 1-0 lead early in the second.
The Habs’ power play put the team back in front with a pair of goals in the second half of the middle period. Juraj Slafkovsky (2nd) and Caufield’s goals brought the Canadiens’ powerplay up to 38.5 percent in the series, which could get them back in the series if they could draw a few more calls.
Rookie Ivan Demidov is finding his footing in the league, setting up both of the Canadiens’ goals in Game 4. After a slow start to the series, he is now looking like he could be a difference-maker in the series. The 19-year-old Russian has now played a half-dozen NHL games, so the slow start was likely expected.
One of Montreal’s most steady defencemen will be out for Game 5, as Alex Carrier took a beating on Sunday. After hurting himself by hitting Ovechkin, he then got rocked by Tom Wilson, knocking him out of the game.
Washington Capitals
After opening the scoring, the Washington Capitals were forced to make a comeback in the third period after falling behind 3-1 in the second. It all started with a thunderous hit from Wilson at centre ice, leading to a Brandon Duhaime goal just seconds after he knocked the Canadiens defenceman out of the game. With just over three minutes left in the period, Andrew Mangiapane threw one past the Canadiens’ goalie to put them up 4-2. Duhaime scored his second of the game into the empty net before Wilson would rub salt in the wound, scoring his first of the series in the empty net for the 5-2 final.
After a breakout season this year, fans doubted Dylan Strome would be able to keep it up as a top-line centre in the postseason. Those doubters must be quiet now, as the 28-year-old has seven points (2G, 5A) in the series, playing playoff hockey for just the third time in 10 seasons.
After skating in a regular jersey for a few days now, things look good for Aliaksei Protas to rejoin the team. The 6-foot-6 winger scored 30 this season and looks like the perfect player for the postseason.
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