Sports Betting Overview
Some of the best games of the NHL season are played between two teams each involved in a desperate attempt to keep its playoff hopes alive. While many people in the sports world are getting ready for betting March Madness games, the hockey fans in Washington keep waiting for the Capitals to make that playoff push. The Capitals fell out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference right around the NHL trade deadline 2012 and have not been able to get back into the race since. The Capitals have had plenty of chances to get back into the top eight, but it continues to lose close games and is unable to close out leads late in games. This may be the first season in a long time where the Washington Capitals are not considered a contender for the Stanley Cup.
The Toronto Maple Leafs spent the first half of the NHL season kicking around the top four and five spots of the Eastern Conference. Confidence in Toronto was high and the fans felt that their playoff expectations would finally be reached. But around the midway point of the season, the Leafs ran into familiar goaltending problems that have dropped Toronto all the way down to 12th in the conference. The Leafs were expecting to be able to lean on goaltender James Reimer for many years to come, but an injury and inconsistent play have caused the Leafs to have to platoon the goaltending duties between Reimer and Jonas Gustavsson. To this point, the platoon system is not working.
Washington Capitals
The price per head bookie experts have not had a great deal of faith in the Capitals all season long and Washington has done nothing to change that. In the 10 games leading up to the beginning of the week, Washington was 4-6-0 and caught in a two-game losing streak. In a typical example of what has been happening to the Capitals all season, Washington had a chance to jump back into eighth place in the conference last Sunday but lost a 1-0 game to the Philadelphia Flyers. The Caps are having a lot of problems winning games that they need, but Washington is one of the better home teams in the NHL with a 21-10-2 record.
Toronto Maple Leafs
It is often said that playing hockey in Toronto, Montreal and New York can be the toughest gigs in the NHL. Goaltender James Reimer can feel the stares of Maple Leaf fans as he steps on to the ice of the Air Canada Centre and it cannot be easy for him. The Leafs in front of Reimer are playing well. But a sportsbook review of the Leafs’ season shows that not all of the blame can be placed on the goaltenders. The Leafs take bad penalties and new head coach Randy Carlyle has pledged to pull the team together and make a run at the playoffs.
The Bottom Line
This will be a fun game to watch as two conference foes square off to battle for two points that both teams desperately need. But the Capitals have a slight edge in this game and will look to exploit it early and often.
Gambling Advisor blog Free Pick: Washington Capitals
