Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Odds & Picks: May 11th 2009

Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Free Pick: Washington Capitals +1.5 (-215)
Mon May 11th 2009 7:05p - NHL odds
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The Caps may be on the verge of elimination, but it surely isn’t LW Alexander Ovechkin’s fault. Ovie has scored six goals and logged three assists in the L/4 games of this series. He has at least one point in all five games. The bottom line is that Washington simply has to play better defense and getting better goaltending if it is going to survive in Pittsburgh tonight. G Simeon Varlamov is really starting to look like a rookie in this series. Yes, he is still 6-5 with a 2.15 GAA in 11 playoff starts, but the fact of the matter is that he has given up 15 goals in the L/4 games, and in two of those games was beaten early in overtime to give the Pens victories. The defense isn’t blameless either, as the unit has allowed at least 36 shots to reach Varlamov in four of the five games in this series.

Crosby had a quiet Game 5, as he was a -2 and only had five shots on net without recording a point. Fortunately, the second and third lines both stepped up in a big way for the Penguins, as both C Jordan Staal and C Evgeni Malkin recorded a goal and an assist. Still, it’s hard to complain about Sid the Kid, as he had scored at least one point in five straight playoff games and at least two points in the previous three games in this series before drawing the bagel in Game 5. G Marc-Andre Fleury hasn’t been at his best in these playoffs, as a 2.61 GAA is generally too high for this level. He has allowed at least two goals in all but one start in the postseason, and at least three goals in six of his L/7. Because of that, an offense that ranked 6th in the NHL in the regular season with 3.1 goals per game needs to have another strong outing for the Pens to close out the Caps tonight.

Until Malkin’s surprising winner in OT in Game 5, this series looked destined for seven games. The Capitals have to get into desperation mode and get there quickly. Goals may be at more of a premium this evening with urgency setting in, but it’s hard to bank on either goalie at this point. Ovie looked like a man possessed on Saturday, as he had a hand in all three Washington goals. The Caps may not survive today, but it’s hard to see them losing by more than one goal in the process.