How the public is betting Capitals vs. Islanders first round playoff series

Game 5 update: The Islanders won 4-0 to win the series after Semyon Varlamov stopped 23 shots and Anthony Beauvillier scored two goals.

Game 4 update: The Capitals won 3-2 on two goals by Alex Ovechkin.

Game 3 update: The Islanders won 2-1 in overtime on a game-winner by Mathew Barzal. Semyon Varlamov stopped 22 of 23 shots in the win.

Game 2 update: The Islanders won 5-2 on goals by five different players. Alex Ovechkin had two goals for Washington, but Semyon Varlamov stopped the other 23 shots he faced.

Game 1 update: The Islanders won 4-2 to take a 1-0 series lead. Josh Bailey had a goal and an assist and Brock Nelson had two assists in the win.

The Washington Capitals and New York Islanders open their first round series on Wednesday as the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway. The series takes place in the Toronto hub city, with the Capitals getting to wear their home jerseys for four of the seven games.

The Capitals are the No. 3 seed after winning one of their three round robin games. The Islanders were the 7th seed in the qualifying round and beat the Florida Panthers in four games. Washington enters the series as a -143 favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook against the +122 Islanders. The betting public is split on this one, which is not surprising after the Islanders impressive qualifying round. A day before Game 1, 60 percent of the handle is on the Islanders, while 52 percent of total bets are on the Capitals.

Game 1 of the series gets going at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and the public is split on the first game as well. The Capitals are -134 on the money line and getting 61 percent of total bets. The Islanders are +116 on the money line and getting 57 percent of the handle. Meanwhile, the Capitals are -1.5 on the puck line and getting 76 percent of bets and 57 percent of handle. The more confident Caps backers might be on the puck line. Finally, the goal total is set at 5.5 and the under is getting the public action. 61 percent of total bets and 64 percent of handle is on the under.

The Capitals will welcome back starting defenseman John Carlson after an exhibition game injury, but it’s not entirely clear if key reserve center Lars Eller will play. He wraps up his quarantine on Wednesday, which might not be enough time to be ready for Game 1.

Here is the Capitals-Islanders series schedule. The Islanders win the series 4-1.

Game 1: Islanders 4, Capitals 2
Game 2: Islanders 5, Capitals 2
Game 3: Islanders 2, Capitals 1
Game 4: Capitals 3, Islanders 2
Game 5: Islanders 4, Capitals 0