The Predators now face very long odds in going back to Vancouver, where the Canucks went 28-10-5 in the regular season. However Nashville responds, it’s going to have to be with grit if the Preds hope to make it a series again: Vancouver’s home building has been a defensive fortress.
The Jets will have the Winnipeg White Out working in their favor, but little else seems to be going their way. It looks much like last year against Vegas, when the Peggers won the first game and then got blown away in four straight.
Houston, despite its poor record, comes in as the favorite for this matchup. The Astros might be struggling, but there’s still talent in this lineup. If Houston can start cashing in its opportunities, the Astros still have some hope.
This doesn’t feel like New York is set to get back in the series. Carolina has controlled all four games to date. The Hurricanes simply didn’t finish the job because of Seymon Varlamov. A hot goaltender can do a lot for a team, but overcoming a 3-0 deficit usually isn’t part of that.
Are the Stars back in this series, or was Game 3 more of an off-night for the Golden Knights? That’s the biggest question here, as Dallas seized control of Game 3 and held on for dear life, winning in overtime to at least get the series back to Texas for a fifth game.
The Orioles have steadily built themselves into the American League’s best roster, and they won the series and the AL East from the Yankees last season. If New York wants to avoid the wild-card route this season, it’s going to have to figure out how to win in Baltimore.
Are the Stars back in this series, or was Game 3 more of an off-night for the Golden Knights? That’s the biggest question here, as Dallas seized control of Game 3 and held on for dear life, winning in overtime to at least get the series back to Texas for a fifth game.
The Bolts finally got the better of Florida with the man advantage in Game 4, striking twice for power play goals en route to a 6-3 victory that kept the series alive. But for the series, Tampa Bay is 4-for-17 with the man advantage and was just 2-for-12 prior to Game 4.
With the Capitals not scoring, the defense a shadow of itself, Alexander Ovechkin a shadow of a shadow and the Rangers controlling the flow of play, it looks pretty bleak. The Rangers are going off at almost -200, and that feels reasonable.