The East is all but set, so these two matchups feature three teams fighting for important playoff positioning in afternoon games.
Washington Capitals (-160) vs Dallas Stars (+135)
This game between the Washington Capitals and the Dallas Stars is lining up to be very one-sided. The Stars are on the second half of a back-to-back after losing to the New York Islanders and they are expected to give Adam Scheel his first start in the NHL.
The Capitals have won four in a row and starter Vitek Vanecek has fully taken over the starter role and done a great job. The Capitals have an eight-game point streak during which they are 7-0-1, scoring four or more goals in all but their overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers. The over in their games have also hit in seven straight games, so it is a good bet to throw some money on that (O6, -110).
The Stars have lost four of five games, and their only win came in overtime. They are struggling at the wrong time, especially since they had a chance to take over the final wild card spot in the West. The Stars have been pretty streaky this season and it looks like they can’t put much together right now. Jump all over the Capitals in this one.
Carolina Hurricanes (-200) vs New York Rangers (+165)
The Carolina Hurricanes come into this game having lost three games in a row for just the second time all season. Don’t expect that to be extended as it may not look like they have a favourable matchup, but the New York Rangers come into today having played last night and are expected to start Alexandar Georgiev.
The Rangers barely snuck away with a victory over the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning last night and have won three of four in tight games. This should be another one of those close games but look for the Hurricanes to come out hard and take control of the game early against a tired team. Take the Hurricanes and the over since it’s favourably low (O5.5, -120).
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
