With the Stanley Cup playoffs well underway, let’s take a look at three of the series.
(3) Boston Bruins vs. (2) Washington Capitals
The Capitals established themselves as the more physical team early in the series opener, and that trend continued into the next game. But that wasn’t the only trend that carried over. Despite a slow start to seemingly every period in the series thus far, the Bruins have dictated the play and own more than 60% of the expected goals through two games. They have been particularly dominant five-on-five, with a 55% shot share and 66% share of expected goals. The Bruins are in the driver’s seat as the series — and home-ice advantage — shifts to Boston. The Bruins attempted 89 shots Monday, 70 of which were unblocked. The Capitals, on the other hand, generated 63 attempts, which is about league average, and 47 were unblocked. DraftKings currently lists the Bruins as -180 series favorites, which is nearly 5% short of my estimate.