There are two games on the schedule tonight, with two series on the line. Let’s take a look at our NHL playoff predictions.
| Senators vs Bruins ML +140 / -160 O/U 5 |
Capitals vs Maple Leafs ML -150 / +130 O/U 5.5 |
Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.
Senators vs Bruins: The Boston Bruins stayed alive by the skins of their collective teeth Friday night. Ottawa controlled pace of play early in the game, jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the first period. Then, 30 seconds into the second, Jean-Gabriel Pageau was sprung for a breakaway and slipped a wrist shot past Tuukka Rask.
Once again, the Bruins found themselves trailing.
But David Pastrnak would get the Bruins on the board by banging home a rebound. Charlie McAvoy made a terrific play to keep the puck in the zone at the blueline, and Brad Marchand used his speed to try a wraparound. Pastrnak was there for the juicy rebound.
Later in the period, Sean Kuraly, only in the lineup because of the obscene number of injuries in Boston’s camp, snuck a wraparound through Craig Anderson to even up the score.
Boston thought they found the overtime winner in the first period of extra time, but the goal was waved off due to goaltender interference.
https://twitter.com/DoleWhipz/status/855617506005987330
While it was not much, Anderson clearly has his legs taken out from under him, which jostles the puck loose. Right call.
But Bruins would finally end it properly in double overtime. Kuraly found himself in the right place at the right time. Off a faceoff win in the attacking zone, Charlie McAvoy fired a shot from the blueline that was kicked out by Anderson. Kuraly flipped the puck towards the net and found twine. He had his second career playoff goal and the overtime winner.
Kuraly went from game-time insertion for Ryan Spooner to Game 5 hero. Hockey is crazy sometimes.
Sean Kuraly's game-winner combined with the call by @DavidCGoucher on @Bruinsradio. pic.twitter.com/5cuJ5RiGNb
— Stanley Cup of Chowder (@cupofchowdah) April 22, 2017
The Senators win this game if Craig Anderson makes a few big saves, to be frank. Kuraly’s first goal never should have went in. Even Pastrnak’s goal was off a pretty bad rebound. Boston fired from every possible angle but did not necessarily live in the high-danger areas when looking at a heat map of the action.
Ottawa did win both games at TD Garden earlier this series and both regular season matchups in Boston. Do they have more magic in them? They may have to do so without Viktor Stalberg.
David Krejci’s status is up in the air. Torey Krug has started skating on his own. I have my doubts that Krug will be back for this series, which shoots the Bruins’ chances in the foot pretty hard. While I still have them coming out as the victor tonight, I can’t help but join in the chorus of people wondering what could have been had the Bs been able to field a healthy blueline.
Boston will need to get out to a better start, but if they do, I fail to see them making the same critical mistake the Wild did this postseason by losing three home games in a series.
Prediction: Take the Bruins to stay alive tonight. Play the under.
Capitals vs Maple Leafs: Surprise surprise, Game 5 of the Washington-Toronto series went into overtime. And surprise surprise, who should find the puck on his stick when it mattered most but Justin Williams. Williams tallied his seventh career playoff game-winning goal to give the Caps a 3-2 lead in the series.
Williams is third in the NHL in goal scoring in Games 5, 6 and 7 since 2012. He has 11 such goals, behind only Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. He has 36 points in 44 games of that nature.
If Toronto is worried about staving off elimination, they are hiding it well. At least, Mike Babcock is. Apparently, as he left the Verizon Center he told the arena staff that he would “see them in a couple days.”
Babcock on the Leafs forcing a potential game 7 "In my mind and in my heart, that's what I know is going to happen."
— Shawn McKenzie (@ShawnMcKenzieSN) April 22, 2017
It’s always good to have confident leadership, I suppose.
It is unclear just how healthy Alex Ovechkin is for Game 6. While there is no doubt the star winger will play, he took a nasty low hit from Nazem Kadri that really should have been called a major clipping penalty. If a player is injured as a result of a low hit, a major can be assessed.
And boy, does the hit not look good in slow motion.
https://twitter.com/JeffVeillette/status/855571644902932480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.japersrink.com%2F2017%2F4%2F22%2F15394292%2Fthe-narrative-ovechkin-leg-kadri-williams-trotz-babcock-capitals-leafs
While Ovechkin did return to the action and look relatively fine, a hit like that is dangerous and something worth keeping an eye on should Ovi go down hard again.
Toronto will be able to force a Game 7 if they adjust their special teams. While they got a powerplay goal in Games 2, 3 and 4, they looked flat in Game 5. They were unable to enter the zone. The Capitals had made the proper adjustments and figured out their tricks.
Zone entries have been an issue at all strengths for the Maple Leafs, though. Now that Washington is starting to control possession more, they are pinning Toronto in their own zone and forcing longer shifts. The Leafs are then left with no other alternative than to dump it out of their own zone and go change.
Once they get into the offensive zone, they are a dangerous team. But it is traveling from one end to the other that has posed a problem.
Four of the five games this series have gone to extra time, one to double overtime. This has been a marvelous series to watch between two great offensive talents. Washington has the star power and the veteran leadership to push themselves over the edge and make it to the second round, but the Leafs have brash youthfulness on their side.
I called in my series preview that this series would be heading to seven games. I don’t think the Leafs lose on their home ice. Toronto has earned the chance to stay alive.
Prediction: Take the Maple Leafs to win. Play the over, which hit in both games in Toronto this series.
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