The Boston Bruins have looked weary down the stretch but still plan to defend their Stanley Cup championship banner as they battle the upset-minded Capitals at TD Garden on Thursday.

It's Game 1 of the Caps Bruins series and Washington gets the underdog role after several playoff seasons as chalk. They struggled as favorites, perhaps they can pull the upset here as the No. 7 seed.

[ Full Bruins vs Capitals preview ]

The Bruins currently sports a record of 49-29-4. The Capitals are 42-32-8. Betting totals have seen the Bruins post a 46-33-3 OVER/UNDER record this season, while the Capitals have gone 40-37-5 against the number.



View Washington vs Boston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks had installed the Bruins as -185 moneyline favorites at Sportsbook in this particular NHL matchup. The total, meanwhile, was set early at 5 before betting started to move the line.

Power Rankings:
The NHL Power Rankings at Odds Shark show the No. 18-rated Capitals taking on the No. 2-rated Bruins in this contest.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Boston's No. 2-ranked offense (3.3 goals per game) against a Capitals defense that ranks No. 18 at 2.8 goals per game allowed. The Bruins Sportsbook has clicked at a 17.2% rate while the Capitals have a 81.6% rate on the penalty kill.

In their last action, Washington was a 4-1 Sportsbook on the road against the Rangers. Bettors on Washington at +145 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (5) sent PUSH bettors home happy as well.

Boston was a 4-3 Sportsbook in its last match at home against the Sabres. They won as -175 favorites, while the total score of 7 made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors.


Washington Capitals Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 1-9
Before playing Calgary are 3-7
After playing NY Rangers are 5-5
After a win are 5-5

Boston Bruins Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Ottawa are 6-4
After playing Buffalo are 6-4
After a win are 6-4

A few Capitals at Bruins trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games when playing on the road against Boston
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Washington's last 18 games when playing Boston
Washington is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Boston's last 18 games when playing Washington


Next up:
Washington at Boston, Saturday, April 14