Washington Capitals @ Winnipeg Jets – Friday March 22, 2013 7:00PM EST
The only sportsbook experts who are surprised that the Winnipeg Jets are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference are the ones who do not follow the NHL. Over the past few seasons, even going as far back as when the Winnipeg Jets were the Atlanta Thrashers, the Jets have been a slowly developing and improving team. Now that young players such as Evander Kane have started to come into their own, the Jets find themselves in seventh place in the conference with a keen focus on overtaking the Carolina Hurricanes for the Southeast Division lead and moving into third place by the time the playoffs roll around.
The sports betting online experts are seeing some levels of improvement with the Washington Capitals, but the progress is slow. The loss of forward Alexander Semin initially affected the production of superstar Alex Ovechkin, but it looks like Ovechkin is getting on track and is starting to put the puck into the net. The problem for the Capitals is that the team sits seven points out of a playoff spot with only 20 games left in the season. The Capitals need every win and a win over the Jets would be ideal.
Winnipeg Jets
The bookie software has a problem considering the Winnipeg Jets to be a strong playoff team because the Jets still have a -8 goal differential. The defense is playing well and some stars, such as Kane, are putting the puck in the net. But the Jets need to start getting more balance from its offense if the team is going to advance to the second round of the playoffs. Games like this one against the Capitals prove to be excellent chances for the Jets to get into a scoring groove and advance their playoff attack.
Washington Capitals
A sportsbook review of the situation in Washington shows that maybe Alex Ovechkin is not the best choice for team captain. Ovechkin does not seem very interested in rallying his team and he is still not very good at setting up other players to score goals. The team is also a bit concerned about the shaky and inconsistent play of goaltender Braden Holtby. The team is trying to give backup Michal Neuvirth more playing time, but Neuvirth is proving to be less reliable than Holtby.
The Bottom Line
The Washington Capitals need every win they can get, especially over divisional opponents like the Winnipeg Jets. But this is a game that features two teams going in opposite directions. The Capitals are still trying to figure out how to rebuild while the Jets are focused on earning a playoff spot. This actually has the potential to be a blowout in favor of Winnipeg, depending on what happens in goal for Washington.
Click here for more information on the development and growth of the Winnipeg Jets.
Pick: Winnipeg Jets
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