The Washington Capitals certainly exercised a lot of demons last year when they won the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history. But just a few days after the Cup was handed out head coach Barry Trotz headed out the door for the riches of the New York Islanders. Trotz was coaching without a new contract last year and was facing the firing squad when the Caps went down 2-0 in the first round of the playoffs to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Instead he rallied his team and cashed in as a Stanley Cup winning coach. But with his departure the Capitals may have lost their edge defensively. At least that is the look of things so far to start the new season.
New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals
Date and Time: Wednesday, October, 17, 2018, 7 p.m. ET
Location: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
NHL Odds at Bookmaker.eu: Check Back Later
Rangers vs. Capitals Coverage: NBCSN
Rebuilding Rangers
The New York Rangers cut payroll and sent off most of their top players at the trade deadline last February in the ultimate surrender. They even sent a letter to their fans admitting that a full rebuild was the plan and that their days as a contender are over. So far, the Rangers season may be over before it even begins as they lost four out of their first five games. New York ranks 23rd in the NHL for goal scoring and 22nd for goals against. This will not be a fun year in Manhattan for the NHL’s second most valuable franchise.
Capital Punishment
Washington lost three of their first five games to start the season and was quite sloppy on the back end, which was what many were worried about when Trotz hit the road. Washington ranks eighth in the NHL for goal scoring but 25th for goals against.
A Tough Act to Follow
The Washington Capitals are now coached by Todd Reirden, who was a top assistant to Trotz for the past four seasons at Washington. The good news is that Reirden and the Caps are familiar with each other. The concern is that before Trotz arrived, Washington was not a consistent team on the back end and often just skipped the defensive aspect of the game all together. Trotz changed all of that and even got Alex Ovechkin to become a 200-foot player. Whether or not Reirden commands the respect of the dressing room remains to be seen.
The Eight is Still Great
Washington left wing Alex Ovechkin has gotten off to a strong start with four goals and three assists in his first five games with a plus two. The Great Eight shows no signs of slowing down and has taken great pride in becoming a Stanley Cup champion.
Depth Remains Washington Strength
Meanwhile Ovechkin’s fellow Russian, center Evgeny Kuznetsov, is also starting strong with four goals and five assists with a plus two. TJ Oshie had a great playoff last year and the right winger has posted four goals with two assists and a plus three to open the 2018-19 campaign. Defenseman John Carlson emerged as one of the most respected blue liners in the game last spring with a strong playoff performance. So far this year Carlson has two goals, four assists and a plus five.
Goaltending Matchup
Washington goaltender Braden Holtby is off to a rough start with a save percentage of just .896 and 3.26 goals against average. Holtby was strong in the Stanley Cup run last year and should improve.
Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has long been the marquee man for the franchise. Despite the Rangers bad start Lundqvist has a highly impressive .938 save percentage and 2.03 goals against average.
Odds Analysis
Live betting is likely to favor the Capitals due to their scoring depth. But Lundqvist may offer Ranger backers live betting value with his dominant play in goal. Especially if Holtby continues to falter.
NHL Live Betting Picks: Capitals 3, Rangers 1
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