Bruins vs. Capitals: RA's Gambling Corner Feat. Murls

The Bruins and Capitals kick off the NHL Playoffs tonight in D.C. and the oddsmakers have Boston as a -160 series favorite (you need to risk 160 to win 100 on the Bs; for every 100 you risk on the Caps, you win 140). For Game 1, the Bruins are -130 with a total of 5.5 (under is -135 as the line jumped up from 5 earlier today).

Boston has been arguably the best team in the league since the trade deadline. Taylor Hall, Curtis Lazar, and Mike Reilly have been perfect pieces to the Bs Cup puzzle so far. Their top two lines are dominant and their bottom six will be trouble for the opposition no matter how it's configured. The Caps Fs are a bit banged up as Alex Ovechkin, T.J. Oshie, and Nicklas Backstrom have all missed games recently. Evgeny Kuznetsov is still in COVID protocol.

On D, the Caps have much more playoff experience than the Bs. But the Bs backline corps is quicker and collectively better at the transition game. If the Caps have the advantage here, it's not significant. 

Unlike the Bruins advantage in the crease, which is very significant. Tuukka Rask will start his 94th playoff game tonight. Vitek Vanecek is starting his first. We know what we're getting with Tuukka. Vanecek ran hot-and-cold in his first NHL season and doesn't scare me at all. If Rask gets hurt or otherwise shits the bed, Bruce Cassidy is 100% confident handing the net over to rookie Jeremy Swayman. But I can't imagine Peter Laviolette wants to hand over his most important position to Craig Anderson at any point in these playoffs. The back-up turns 40 on Friday and has played in just four NHL games since his '19-'20 season ended in March of last year (Ilya Samsonov is also still in COVID protocol).

We are on the Bruins money line -130 for Game 1 for a dime and Bruins -1.5 +200 for a nickel. We are also taking the Bruins in the series -160.

Good luck to all.

Friend of Spittin' Chiclets, son of The Capital District, and 17-year pro Matt Murley will also be sharing his picks here as well.

Boston Bruins @ Washington Capitals 

Game 1: BOS -130/WAS +110, 5.5 (und -135)

Series: BOS -160/WAS +140

Murls Take: NHL for once is doing something right, they came out firing with a 'must watch' series. This will be a rough and tumble series that is a powder keg when you put Marchand, one of the all-time great agitators, on the ice in a series with the likes of Wilson who always makes headlines and is ready for anything. I can not go on the Caps for Game One until I see the Great 8 take a one-timer without discomfort. This will be a low scoring affair and will come down to a bounce. But I am on the road team…also PFT has been distracted by the allure of music so he's not all in.  

Murls Pick: Bruins 3, Caps 2 

Murley's Best Bet:  Bruins money line -130, Bruins win series -160, side car on Bergeron anytime goal +210

** Add me on Twitter for $EBR plays @mattmurley19