NHL Playoffs 2018: Latest Stanley Cup Odds and Predictions for Saturday Games

The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Washington Capitals are playing one of those series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

While many playoff series often tend to go back and forth, with the home team dominating, the Blue Jackets and Capitals have split four games, and the road team has won every one.

It doesn't seem likely that trend will continue. A home team has to win every so often. If that is the case, the Capitals should be the team to advance to the second round since, if it goes to Game 7, two of the last three games will be played in Washington.

The teams will square off Saturday in Game 5 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN. 

The Blue Jackets got the jump in the series by winning a pair of overtime games in Washington, but the Caps bounced back by winning the two games in Columbus. Washington took Game 3 by a 3-2 margin in overtime when a shot ricocheted off the Capitals' Lars Eller before bounding it's way into the net for the game-winning goal.

Washington squared the series Thursday night with a strong 4-1 victory in Nationwide Arena. 

The Caps may have turned the corner with those wins. Braden Holtby was back in goal for Games 3 and 4, and Alex Ovechkin scored in the latter on a sharp wrist shot to the far corner of the net.

Holtby said the Caps had confidence even though they started the series in an 0-2 hole. "I think we came into this building with the right mindset to have success against this team here, but we know it's only going to get harder from here on out and we've got to raise our game even more," the Caps netminder said, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.

The Blue Jackets have never won a playoff series, while the Caps have a dubious postseason history of their own. They have never won the Stanley Cup, and they haven't been past the second round during Ovechkin's tenure.

Both teams are playing to rewrite history. Columbus can do that by winning this series, while Washington would have to get to the Stanley Cup Final and win it if it wants to go into the summer feeling better about itself.

Stanley Cup Odds

Nashville Predators +445 (wager $100 to win $445)
Tampa Bay Lightning +470
Vegas Golden Knights +535
Pittsburgh Penguins +675
Boston Bruins +675
Winnipeg Jets +760
San Jose Sharks +865
Washington Capitals +1,600
Columbus Blue Jackets +2,000
Toronto Maple Leafs +6,000
Colorado Avalanche, +20,000
New Jersey Devils +20,000

Odds accurate through April 20 and according to OddsShark.

The Boston Bruins will try to eliminate the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden on Saturday night.

The Bruins return home with a 3-1 lead in the series after taking a 3-1 decision Thursday night at Air Canada Centre.

The win was a bit of a surprise because the Bruins were forced to play without Patrice Bergeron. Boston's best all-around player was declared out of the lineup about 15 minutes before faceoff with an upper-body injury.

The Bruins got the early jump in Game 4 with a goal by defenseman Torey Krug at the 28-second mark. Goalie Frederik Andersen was screened on Krug's wrist shot, and the goal allowed the Bruins to relax.

While Tomas Plekanec was able to tie the game seven minutes later, the Bruins did a good job of limiting Toronto's scoring opportunities. Brad Marchand and rookie Jake DeBrusk scored on two-on-one rushes in the second and third periods, respectively. The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, could not solve Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask.

Bergeron's status for Game 5 has not been announced by head coach Bruce Cassidy, but Boston's star center skated in practice Friday. 

"We've said that all along—if guys are skating, they're closer to playing," Cassidy said, per Barbara Matson of the Boston Globe. "We'll make a decision tomorrow on that, so we won't rule him out and we won't say he's definitely going to play. But it is a positive."

Toronto will try to attack the Bruins with their speed, and the Maple Leafs were effective in their Game 3 victory, as the Bruins had a difficult time keeping up with Mitchell Marner, William Nylander and Auston Matthews.

However, the Boston defense kept Toronto from dominating in the other three games in the series.

Predictions

The Capitals got a reprieve on the road, and while they will still have a lot to prove if they can win this series, they have to feel as if they have regained their footing by bouncing back with a pair of road victories.

Holtby may have struggled during the regular season, but he is a Vezina Trophy winner, and he will show his talent. Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov will get Washington on the right track, and the Caps will win Game 5 to take a 3-2 series edge.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have a 3-1 series lead over the New Jersey Devils, and they can clinch the series with a win at Amalie Arena on Saturday. The Lightning won both their home games against New Jersey earlier in the series, but they have not been able to overpower Taylor Hall and the Devils.

Look for New Jersey to pull off the upset here and extend the series to six games.

The Bruins may not have Bergeron back in the lineup, but they ripped apart the Leafs in their two earlier home games. Boston appears to be the most compete team in the Eastern Conference, and while the Leafs will come with their best game, the Bruins are too strong defensively and will not get caught up in the run-and-gun game. Boston wins to eliminate Toronto.