We’ve been documenting it all week. The Pittsburgh Penguins are fading fast and all but out of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Only three teams have come back from a 3-0 defecit to win a postseason series, and one of those teams is the Philadelphia Flyers from 2010.

They know how quickly it can happen, and won’t take their feet off Pittsburgh’s neck.

That means stock is rising for a handful of other teams in the east to win the Stanley Cup. And whoever wins the series between the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals could end up making some serious noise.

The Capitals evened the series at one apiece over the weekend when Nicklas Backstrom’s wrister beat Tim Thomas in double overtime.
Washington’s tight defense has stifled the Bruins for the most part this series. Boston was second in the league with 3.17 goals per game but only has two through two games thus far. That’s after putting up 74 shots on the net.

“Their system right now resembles a little bit to one of Tampa,” coach Claude Julien said on Covers. “It’s something that we’re probably not used to seeing from Washington because it was not that same type of hockey that they played before.”

None of the Bruins’ top-7 points leaders have a point in the series yet. A lot of that has to do with the great play from Washington goaltender Branden Holtly, who saved 39 shots in the Game Two victory.

Bovada is favoring Boston by 1 1/2 goals with a -125 moneyline.

The Bruins are high on Bovada’s NHL Futures Betting Odds leaderboard to win the Stanley Cup, but still trail the New York Rangers (6/1)
Bovada favors the Rangers to win on Monday night and take a 2-1 lead over the Ottawa Senators. New York is giving 1 1/2 goals, and getting a -125 moneyline to win. New York will have to do it without rising star Carl Hagelin, who is suspended four games for an illegal elbow he dished out last game.