Hockey betting: Capitals Knocked out of Postseason

The chase for the Stanley Cup has become a little more wide open after a stunning upset in the first round of the postseason. After registering an NHL-best 121 points during the regular season, the Washington Capitals were expected to roll through its opening round matchup against a Montreal Canadiens squad that edged out the New York Rangers by one point for the final playoff spot in the East. With a 3-1 series lead, Washington appeared to be on its way to the conference semi-finals. However, Montreal rallied to win the final three games of the series to shock the Capitals. A couple of other title contenders in the East were also sent home early. Eastern Conference The fourth-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins are the highest remaining seed in the East after Washington, New Jersey and Buffalo were knocked out in the opening round. The defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins have lost the home ice edge against the Canadiens after the clubs split the first two games of its semi-final series in Pittsburgh. However, the Penguins were still a -355 favorite to reach the Eastern Conference Finals heading into Game 3 at Montreal, of which they shut out the Canadiens taking a 2 -1 series lead. In the other semi-final series, the sixth-seeded Boston Bruins have a 2-0 series lead over the seventh-seeded Philadelphia Flyers. In a must-win Game 3 at home on Wednesday night, the Flyers are a -160 favorite. With Washington out of the picture, the Penguins are now the overall favorite to repeat as champions at +160. Boston is the next choice out of the East at +600. Western Conference In the West, all three top seeds are still alive. The top-seed San Jose Sharks have jumped out to a 3-0 series lead over the fifth-seeded Detroit Red Wings. San Jose was a -375 favorite to win the series heading into Game 3 at Detroit. The defending Western Conference champions Red Wings were a -165 favorite in Game 3 on Tuesday. In the other semi-final matchup, third-seed Vancouver has taken away the home ice advantage from the second-seeded Chicago Blackhawks. The series is heading north of the border for Game 3 after the two teams split a pair of games in Chicago. Vancouver is a -150 choice for Wednesday's Game 3. In the Stanley Cup futures pool, the Sharks are the top choice in the West at +280 while the Canucks and Blackhawks are each at +470.