The Washington Capitals ran away with the best record in hockey, going 55-19-8 during the regular season. But after two straight losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Capitals suddenly find themselves in a hole heading into Game 4 this Wednesday night.
Capitals vs. Maple Leafs odds 2017: Washington betting favorite looking to avoid 3-1 series hole
The Capitals will try to bounce back from two straight losses to the Leafs when the teams meet on Wednesday night in Game 4.
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Washington is a -145 road favorite in Toronto at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Before losing their last two games to Toronto (+125), the Capitals were 8-1 in their previous nine games against the Maple Leafs.
Washington Capitals
Perhaps after breezing through the regular season with the third-best offense in the NHL, scoring 3.18 goals per game and the best goals-against average in the NHL allowing 2.16 goals per game, the Capitals thought that the first round against the wild card Maple Leafs would be easy.
This has proven to be far from the truth, as all three games in this series have been pushed to overtime and Toronto has come out on top in two of them. Washington still has time to turn things around, but its margin for error shrinks with each loss.
The Capitals are just 2-6 in their last eight postseason games, including an 0-4 record on the road per the OddsShark NHL Database.
Betting Line / Total: Washington -145 / 5.5 Goals
Trend: The Capitals are 2-6 in their last eight playoff games.
Trend: The OVER is 8-5 in the last 13 games between the Capitals and Maple Leafs.
Toronto Maple Leafs
It took the Maple Leafs until the last weekend of the regular season to clinch a playoff spot, doing just that with a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Coach Mike Babcock has done an excellent job getting the most out of his young team all season, overcoming the team’s shortcomings in the defensive end with excellent special teams and strong play in the offensive zone.
The team’s fearless and exciting style has left Washington on its heels for large stretches of play and made all three games in this series highly entertaining.
Wednesday night’s total is set at 5.5 goals. The OVER is 8-5 in the last 13 games between these two teams.
As heavy underdogs, the Maple Leafs came into this series with nothing to lose, and they’ve been playing like it. Toronto has successfully planted a seed of doubt in this series, and will look to pull off another upset this Wednesday night.
Washington Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs
When: Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
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