Ovechkin says they’ll win, media responds by putting ‘guarantee’ in his mouth. (Caps Outsider)
The sportsbooks are at it again and, with the help of Oddsmakers.com, they publish the odds for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Although the odds are subject to change daily as wins/losses, injuries, and other such circumstances are taken into consideration, this is the latest.
| Stanley Cup Odds | |
| Team | Odds |
| Chicago | 2-1 |
| Anaheim | 12-5 |
| Tampa Bay | 7-2 |
| Washington | 6-1 |
| N.Y. Rangers | 13-2 |
| Montreal | 20-1 |
| Calgary | 66-1 |
The Caps really have their work cut out for them for game 7 Wednesday night. The Rangers are this year’s Presidents’ Trophy winner meaning they had the best regular season record in the NHL, 53-22-7. They have also won nine straight elimination games at home since 2008—an NHL record. They made the Stanley Cup Finals last season. And, unfortunately for the Caps, they are on a roll making a valiant comeback after being down 3-1 in the series.
The Caps need to play harder than they’ve ever played if they want to beat the Rangers at MSG. They need to have their illusive “very best game” that Coach Barry Trotz keeps telling us about. Fans need more than just Trotz’s steadfast faith in his squad’s ability and an offhanded guarantee of success by team captain, Alex Ovechkin, to think the Caps will pull this one out. Fans need to see a team playing with the urgency and intensity necessary to remain in the playoff race.
According to the odds, right now it looks like the Stanley Cup winner will come from the Western Conference. Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to beat the odds.
Let’s Go Caps!
