Sportsbooks Overview
If anyone would have said that a game in February between the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers would be a battle of two playoff powerhouses, most price per head sports experts would have called that statement crazy. But the Panthers are the top team in the Southeast Division and the Senators have been battling for the fifth and sixth playoff spots for most of the season. The Florida Panthers are the only team in the Southeast Division currently in the playoff hunt. Things have turned a bit upside down in theNHL and now we have a game where both teams need the points to stay in the thick of the playoff race.
The 2012 March Madness betting is in full swing in the state ofFlorida and the only FloridaNHL franchise currently in a playoff spot is the Florida Panthers. While the Panthers are taking advantage of a weak Southeast Division, it should be noted thatFlorida would still have a playoff spot even if it was not the division leader. The Senators are clinging to a playoff spot in a Northeast Division that has seen the re-emergence of the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens. When you factor in the Toronto Maple Leafs who are right on the Senators’ heels, then you get a congested playoff race in the Eastern Conference.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators have not been doing itself any favors lately. The team is 2-6-2in the last 10 games and has fallen to seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The sportsbook reviews on theOttawa season have shown that the team has been wildly inconsistent behind the spotty goaltending of Craig Anderson. The Senators cannot play great team defense, so it relies onAnderson to hold down the fort. SometimesAnderson comes through, other times he does not. WhenAnderson has a bad night, the Senators have a bad night and that has been happening a lot lately. With the rest of the Northeast Division starting to pick up its game, the Senators need to get back on the winning path if it wants to stay in the playoff hunt.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers have been on a roll lately with a 6-3-1record in the last 10 games. The Panthers are still riding that thin line between playing good defense and allowing way too many shots on goal. Scott Clemmensen has been the goaltending hero as of late in Florida, but that job has shifted a lot this season. The Panthers may try and use the NHL trade deadline 2012 to bring in a new goalie, but that would be like putting a band-aid on a broken arm at this point.Florida needs to keep playing its grinding style and make its own offensive opportunities to win games.
The Bottom Line
Floridais a good home team andOttawaplays well on the road. ButOttawahas been taking a beating on the ice lately and the Panthers are on too much of a roll to stop now.
Pick: Florida Panthers
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