Sports Betting Overview
The Washington Capitals and the Florida Panthers are the two best teams in what is turning out to be the worst division in hockey. The Capitals are in first place in the Southeast Division but would not have enough points to be in the playoff hunt if it was not a division leader. The Florida Panthers have the same amount of points as Washington, sit in second place in the division but are still out of the running for a playoff spot. The Capitals will take the first place status in the division, but this is hardly the dominating team that fans have been seeing for the past few years. This battle for the division lead could be where the Caps start to separate itself from the rest of the division.
Sports fans in Florida are probably doing a lot of Superbowl betting but very little hockey betting. Both Florida teams, the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, are playing poor hockey and neither Florida team looks to be making a move towards the playoffs. The Panthers were riding the great play of goaltender Jose Theodore early in the season, but there is only so much that Theodore can do without a defense in front of him. The luckiest thing for the Panthers is that it plays in the worst division in hockey. That alone gives the Panthers hope for a playoff berth in April.
Washington Capitals
The Capitals do not seem to have any problems scoring goals, but the team is not getting the kind of play it expected to get from its goaltending. Newly acquired goalie Tomas Vokoun is doing well with a 20-12-0 record and a .916 save percentage. But Michal Neuvirth is obviously not enjoying the role of backup as he has posted a 6-7-3 record this season and has a .892 save percentage. The price per head bookie experts do not have a lot of faith in the Capitals when Neuvirth is in net and the Capitals seem to love to play its backup more than most other teams. As Vokoun plays more, the Capitals seem to gain stability. The fans are hoping that interim head coach Dale Hunter can see that and keep Vokoun in the nets.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers’ problems are not so much the lack of defense, it is more a lack of balance that plagues this team. Sportsbook reviews of games earlier in the season show a team that leaned way too much on a hot goalie. Once Theodore started to crack under the pressure, the offense could not pick up the pace. The Panthers need to start balancing their attack and bring their forwards back to start playing defense. If Florida does not make some changes to the way it plays, then other teams will just continue to skate around them.
The Bottom Line
NHL fans in Washington are frustrated and fans in Florida are apathetic. There is a feeling in Washington that the Capitals had its shot at the Stanley Cup but are past that and back into rebuilding. The Capitals players need to start picking up the pace to bring hockey excitement back to Washington.
Pick: Washington Capitals
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