Tonight is a huge night in the NHL in terms of playoff positioning for next week. 28 of the 30 teams are in action tonight so when midnight hits we should have a very good idea about what the first round playoff matchups should look like. Last night the Blues dropped a tough one for me to swallow in a shootout after allowing Datsyuk to hook up with Franzen for two late goals in the third period to tie the game. Tonight I have three plays and I expect to finish the season strong heading into the playoffs.
Florida Panthers @ Washington Capitals
The Panthers haven’t been able to get wins recently. Don’t get me wrong they’ve been getting points, which have almost guaranteed a playoff spot, but most of these points have come from shootout or overtime losses. The Panthers have only won 1 of their last 8 games and are currently on a 4 game losing skid heading into the playoffs. They have managed to get a point from 4 of those 7 losses, so they aren’t playing horribly, but it’s still not what a team wants heading into the postseason. I expect their losing streak to continue tonight as they face a desperate Capitals team. The Caps have been good at home all season and now, when it matters most they have to pull out a win.
Play: Capitals -140 (5Dimes.com)
New York Rangers @ Pittsburgh Penguins
The Rangers are big dogs in this game, possibly because the Penguins have won their last 3 meetings convincingly. That being said the Rangers have been playing great of late winning 5 of their last 6, including their last 4 road games. The Penguins on the other hand have faultered slightly having won only 2 of their last 5 games. They’ve also lost their last 2 home games. Both teams will be ready to play in this one looking at the game as a test for the post season, but as such big underdogs the smart money is on the Rangers.
Play: Rangers +155 (SportsInteraction.com)
Columbus Blue Jackets @ Colorado Avalanche
The Blue Jackets lost their last game after putting up 3 wins in a row, but I still like to back them at this point in the season because they are big dogs no matter who they are playing. The Avalanche are in a must win situation, but they simply aren’t that good of a team and I could see this game going either way. The Avs finally won their last game, but that followed a four game losing streak that really killed their playoff hopes. I expect them to be mathematically eliminated tonight one way or another.
Play: Blue Jackets +166 (5Dimes.com)
Written by: Niko de Jonge
Tagged with: Colorado Avalanche Betting • Columbus Blue Jackets Betting • Florida Panthers betting • New York Rangers betting • Pittsburgh Penguins betting • Washington Capitals betting