A week changes everything! Wednesday night taught us that Florida wanted to give Toronto a two-game lead before hitting the accelerator. Edmonton eliminated the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. Furthermore, Dallas and Carolina have a chance to end the seasons of the Winnipeg Jets and Washington Capitals.
It is time to look at the Thursday night games to see if the home teams can fend off the end.
Washington Tries To Shoot More Against Carolina
The Carolina Hurricanes have played an intelligent series, controlled the play, and now have a 3-1 series lead heading back to Washington on Thursday night.
Can the Capitals control the flow of play just enough and find some offense simultaneously? This feels like walking and chewing gum at the same time for Washington, too often in this series.
Once more, Frederik Andersen and Logan Thompson are starting in goal. Andersen has not seen a lot of work often enough. Meanwhile, Thompson faced 30+ shots again in Game 4 (37 in all). The Washington goaltender has faced 28 shots in every game of this series. Andersen has not faced more than 21 shots.
Washington has never generated a sustained effort that pumps up the shot total. However, the prop on Andersen has barely moved. Currently, it is stuck at 21.5 saves (the under is out to -120).
The movement to Carolina on the road is troublesome (now at -170). If there is one concern, that is the man advantage. The Hurricanes gave Washington five chances on the power play in Game 4. Honestly, that might bump up Andersen’s save total. Does Washington’s urgency play a role here?
The key for Washington is to break through using more than one line. Alexander Ovechkin attempted seven shots on Monday night but missed four. Shots must get through. Carolina has clogged lanes, blocked and altered shots, and kept chances away from Andersen. If there is a time for Washington to do more than talk, it is now.
Top Player Prop Bet: Frederik Andersen Over 21.5 saves (-110 at DraftKings).
Can Winnipeg Take This Back To Dallas?
The first 20 minutes of Game 5 on Thursday night will be telling. Winnipeg can come out and score goals. However, the Jets have not produced on the power play. Game 2 was the one time they scored on the man advantage. That Gabriel Vilardi goal set the tone as Winnipeg cruised to a 4-0 victory.
Since then, Dallas has clamped down on the Jets, especially when it comes to the bumper and the pursuit of the puck. It does not hurt that Miro Heiskanen is back with Thomas Harley. That is quite a dynamic penalty-killing duo. The task will not be easy for Winnipeg.
Dallas had the fourth-best penalty kill during the regular season, at 82%. That included missing Heiskanen for a large portion of the second half of the season. The Stars excel at keeping chances to a minimum. Jake Oettinger covers the rest and has had a .883 or better penalty kill save percentage the past three seasons.
For Winnipeg to survive, the Jets need to cash in early. Otherwise, the story will be much the same. Our hockey betting pick is that Winnipeg can get one and send the series back to Dallas.
Best Pick: Winnipeg Jets -1.5 goals (+200 via BetMGM).
Do We Get One More Strome To Ovechkin?
Granted, this is a repeat, but we saw one connection in Game 4.
With the possibility of the Washington and Carolina series ending on Thursday night, bettors may not see this again. Dylan Strome and Alex Ovechkin have unquestioned chemistry. It has helped Strome ascend to point levels few believed possible.
What will Dylan Strome and Alex Ovechkin do on Thursday night? The hope is that Washington can generate 3-5 power plays instead of one or two. If that connection can fire off more shots and not miss opportunities, then Washington and bettors may see at least one more power play goal.
Do It For Us One More Time: Dylan Strome Over 0.5 Power Play Points (+180 via FanDuel), Alex Ovechkin (+190 via FanDuel).
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