The Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals play Game 2 of their Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round series Monday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena. Below, we analyze the Bruins-Capitals odds and lines, with NHL picks and predictions.
The Bruins were tripped up 3-2 in overtime in the series opener as Capitals C Nic Dowd posted his first-career overtime playoff goal to give Washington a 1-0 series lead.
To make matters worse for Boston, D Jeremy Lauzon suffered a hand injury and is a question mark for Game 2, as are RW Ondrej Kase and D Jakub Zboril due to upper-body ailments.
The Capitals had injury issues of their own, however. G Vitek Vanecek suffered a lower-body issue in the first period and was replaced by the 39-year-old G Craig Anderson. The veteran was sharp in holding off the B’s.
Bruins at Capitals: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:55 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Bruins -135 (bet $135 to win $100) | Capitals +110 (bet $100 to win $110)
- Against the spread/ATS: Bruins -1.5 (+195) | Capitals +1.5 (-250)
- Over/Under: 5.5 (O: +120 | U: -145)
Bruins at Capitals: Projected starting goalies
Tuukka Rask (15-5-2, 2.28 GAA, .913 SV%, 2 SO) vs. Craig Anderson (2-1-0, 2.13 GAA, .915 SV%)
Rask made 29 saves and allowed three goals in the Game 1 loss. RW Tim Wilson, D Brenden Dillon and Dowd notched goals for the Caps, all of the even-strength variety.
Anderson did a decent job, allowing just one goal – a power-play score by LW Nick Ritchie – against 22 shots in relief. Boston went 1-for-4 on the power play in Game 1.
Special NHL Betting Promotion!
Bet $1 on either team’s money line, WIN $100 (in free bets) if either team scores a goal in the game. Betting offer available in CO, IA, IN, MI, NJ, PA, TN, VA and WV. Place your legal, online bets at BetMGM. New customer offer, terms and conditions apply. Bet now!
Bruins at Capitals: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Bruins 4, Capitals 2
Money line (ML)
The BRUINS (-135) are a good bet to bounce back in Game 2, especially with Anderson in between the pipes for the Capitals. There is a reason he had become an afterthought behind Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov, as Anderson just isn’t very good in the twilight of his career.
Play our new free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Against the spread (ATS)
The BRUINS -1.5 (+195) is an extremely good value, offering a chance to nearly double up.
Boston lost in overtime, as they weren’t ready for Anderson, and he came on in relief and did a great job. It’s not like the Bruins have never seen him before, as he was the backstop for years with the Ottawa Senators. However, they likely did all of their scouting on Vanecek. Anderson isn’t sneaking up on them in this one. Look for the B’s to grab the split.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 5.5 (+120) is plus-money in Game 2, and that’s a value play. Anderson won’t be nearly as effective, and the Caps showed they can get to Rask. Despite the Game 1 Under result, the Over is 3-1-1 across the past five head-to-head meetings in D.C.
Want some action on this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow Joe Williams on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage. This information is for entertainment purposes only. We make no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any content.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1369]