It is the final game of the regular season for both the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins on Tuesday. A lot of playoff implications in this game. A Washington victory would tie them with Pittsburgh for the top spot in the East Division. Should Boston lose both of their final two games, the New York Islanders would become the No. 3 seed in the division for the playoffs with Boston dropping to No. 4.
Here you can find the best picks, news, and stats for this East Division battle. Washington is the favorite at -117. This according to PointsBet Sportsbook, which puts Boston at +100 as the underdog.
Boston will be without defenseman Charlie Coyle and right wing Chris Wagner. Defenseman Jarred Tinordi will also be out.
Bruins Collapse in Third in Loss to Rangers
Boston gave up four goals in the third period in losing to the New York Rangers, 5-4. The teams combined for seven goals in the final frame. Brad Marchand had a goal and assist for Boston. Charlie McAvoy added two assists. Tuukka Rask struggled, allowing five goals on 23 shots.
Boston is 13th in goals per game at 2.96 and is 24th in shooting percentage at 8.9%. They are 10th on the power-play at 21.9%. Marchand easily leads the team in points with 67. He is also the team leader in goals (28) and assists (39). Patrice Bergeron has 23 goals and 48 points.
The Bruins are fourth in goals allowed per game at 2.41 and are second in penalty killing at 86.4%. With Rask going on Monday, look for Jaroslav Halak on Tuesday. Halak is 9-6-4 with a 2.53 GAA and a .905 save percentage. He was hammered in his last outing, allowing four goals on 21 shots, and has allowed four or more goals in three of his last four appearances.
Sheary Delivers Game-Winner in OT
Conor Sheary scored the game-winner exactly 4 minutes into overtime to give Washington a 2-1 victory over Philadelphia. Lars Eller scored the other goal for the Capitals, as this was a scoreless tie through the first two periods. Craig Anderson stopped 28 of 29 shots.
Washington is averaging 3.4 goals per game, fourth in the NHL. The power-play is third at 25.0%. Nicklas Backstrom leads the team with 38 assists and 53 points. Alex Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 24 goals and is fourth in points with 42.
The Capitals are allowing 2.9 goals per game, 18th overall and they are fifth in penalty killing it 83.9%. Vitek Vanecek is 20-10-4 with a 2.74 GAA and a .907 save percentage
Trends:
Boston:
- 3-9 in their last 12 games when playing on zero day’s rest.
Washington:
- 10-3 in their last 13 games against Boston in Washington.
- 38-18 in the last 56 games between these teams.
The irony of this game is that these two teams will likely face each other in the first round of the playoffs. So, fans get a little preview of what that series may look like. The Capitals have dominated the Bruins of late, and they have the extra few days off as Boston will be coming back to play on a second straight night. Those are some big edges for the Capitals.
Pick: Take Washington at -117.
The Total:
This is not going to be a wide-open affair. While Washington is a very good team offensively, both teams are going to be protecting their goaltenders and ensuring that no one gets hurt as they are just days away from the playoffs getting underway. We may even see very limited action for some of the stars to ensure no one gets hurt. That should help to keep scoring down
Pick: Go under 5.5 at -120.
