Predictions ahead of the 2011 National Hockey League Play-offs - Part 4
The New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals series is expected to go into a seven game showdown:
The amazing fact ahead of the game is that the Capitals series during the play-offs has always gone into seven games each time Alex Ovechkin has been part of the franchise in the post-season. However, keeping this out of the equation, the time that the Capitals
have spent with him, they have come across quite a lot of success. They have won the Conference both times.
The duo of Alex Ovechkin and Bruce Boudreau has been very successful in this and they have changed the Capitals from a mediocre team to one of the top teams in the National Hockey League. However, despite coming up with a lot of success they haven’t been
able to move on a step further for the Conference Finals and then the big Stanley Cup Finals. All the Capitals four appearances have ended with a seven games series.
The disappointing factor is that all the last games of the four series were played at the home of the Capitals in the Verizon Center, as they lost three out of the four times. The Capitals are very capable of coming up with winning performances and have
what it takes to win the Cup. However, history has shown that they collapse under pressure situations.
The other amazing fact related to the three out of the four times they were beaten is that each of the teams that beat them went on to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. This shows that they surely gave these teams a tough time and prepared them very well
for the upcoming games.
The Capitals should be prepared for a very tough time on their hands which will be put forward by the New York Rangers who play in a more defensive style. The real test for the Capitals during the play-offs will start from the very first game and if they
pass it, then expect them to go further as they try to avoid the first round exit that they came across last time out.
The New York Rangers will win the series between against the Washington Capitals:
The Rangers are in a good position to win the series even though they are the lowest rated team in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers have been working hard on the ice, putting in more time during practice and trying their level best to bring out the best
out of themselves.
This unit is making a name for themselves among the fans and there is a mutual sense of agreement among all that says that this team is different from all the other past Rangers teams. They have the talent, capability, skill and the will to move forward
which has led to this prediction that the Rangers will win the series against the Capitals.
The Rangers are also helped by the fact that they have a superb player guarding their goal in Henrik Lundqvist who is among one of the best goal-keepers during the course of the regular season. The Rangers are in good shape to win the series, but one thing
is for sure, that whichever team wins this series may very well progress to the Conference Finals if not the Stanley Cup Final.
Continued in Part 5
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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