Sports Betting Overview
When sports fans start betting March Madness college basketball games, that means that the end of theNHL season is not too far off. Now the mad scramble for playoff spots in theNHL begins and teams like the Ottawa Senators are trying to atone for several bad seasons in a row by finally making it into the post-season tournament.Ottawa is currently ranked seventh in the Eastern Conference, but everyOttawa win moves the Senators closer to the top of the conference standings. It is unlikely thatOttawa will catch Northeast Division leadingBoston for the top spot in the division. ButOttawa could land that fourth spot in the conference and get home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The Florida Panthers have two less points in the standings than the Senators, but Florida’s status as the leader of the Southeast Division makes them the number three seed in the conference. The pay per head sports experts have been trying to figure out howFlorida manages to win games on a fairly consistent basis.Florida does not score a lot of goals, it does not win a lot of games on the road and it does not play any real grinding style of defense.Florida is getting decent goaltending but nothing spectacular. The Panthers just seem to be able to score goals at key moments and sneak out of games with wins that it could not grab last year. In a weak Southeast Division, the Panthers appear to be the best of the group.
Ottawa Senators
The goaltending in Ottawais wildly inconsistent, but that does not seem to be bothering the team. A sportsbook review of the play of goalie Craig Anderson shows games where he is brilliant and games where he gives up soft goals. But defense is not the strength of the Senators.Ottawa grinds in the corners and can put the puck in the net. Even players like Chris Neil are contributing to the scoreboard and givingOttawa a balanced offensive attack. If the Senators could get some consistency in net, then this could be a very dangerous team in the playoffs. But as long asAnderson is all over the map with his play,Ottawa will remain suspect as a playoff team.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers really have no superstar names to claim either on offense or defense. The goalie in Floridais Scott Clemmensen as the team has all but given up on Jose Theodore. But the Panthers just keep on winning. Late last week, the Panthers beat the Los Angeles Kings and then started on a run of difficult games that included the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders. NHL fans that follow the Panthers are not quite sure howFlorida does it. But the Panthers just keep on winning.
The Bottom Line
The Senators are a bruising team that can also skate extremely well. The offense on the Senators has not changed much in the past few years. It was the defense and goaltending that had been letting the team down in the past. While the Senators have been getting inconsistent goaltending fromAnderson, he at least puts the team in a position to win more than lose. In this game, the Senators will have the upper hand in dishing out the punishment and forcing the offensive play.
Pick: Ottawa Senators
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