Panthers shoot for win against Ovechkin-less Caps

Hockey Betting Lines

03/16/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Washington Capitals have already secured a playoff spot, the Florida Panthers have been making a late push for the postseason with their play as of late.

The resurgent Panthers aim for their first victory this season over the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals, who'll be without superstar Alex Ovechkin, when the Southeast Division members collide tonight at the BankAtlantic Center.

Florida's playoff chances took a serious hit after the team lost its final six games prior to the Olympic break, with five of those defeats coming in regulation. The Panthers also dropped their first outing upon returning from the NHL's shutdown for the Vancouver Games, but have won four of five tests since to climb back into the race.

The Panthers still have an uphill climb, however, as the club currently trails Boston by six points for the eighth and final postseason seed in the East as it begins a critical four-game homestand.

Florida returns home after a 2-1-0 road trip capped by Saturday's impressive come-from-behind win over the San Jose Sharks, who stand atop the Western Conference at the moment. After rallying from an early two-goal deficit to force overtime, the Panthers claimed a 3-2 decision when Bryan Allen scored 2:46 into the extra session.

Shawn Matthias scored off a rebound of an Allen shot five minutes into the third period to tie the contest at 2-2, then won a faceoff in overtime and sent the puck back to Allen for a wrister that snuck past a screened Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov to complete the comeback.

"We've got a young team, so hopefully this is a huge confidence builder for us," said Florida head coach Peter DeBoer. "After the first period I thought this was going to be a long night, but we found a way to come back and I'm proud of the guys."

Tomas Vokoun did his part as well in the thrilling win, with the veteran netminder stopping 37-of-39 shots on the afternoon.

Florida hopes Saturday's triumph can serve as a springboard as it attempts to end its lack of recent success against the powerful Capitals. Washington has racked up 26 goals in winning all five previous meetings between the divisional foes this season, and they've gone 5-1-0 in their past six visits to the BankAtlantic Center.

The high-scoring Caps have gone 5-1-1 since the break and clinched their third straight Southeast Division title last week. The team also put forth a furious rally its last time out, erasing a three-goal deficit in a 4-3 overtime verdict over Central Division-leader Chicago Sunday at the United Center.

Nicklas Backstrom, Brooks Laich and Eric Fehr all scored within a 2:16 span in the third period to force extra time, and Backstrom beat Blackhawks netminder Antti Niemi on an odd-man rush 3:10 into overtime to lift Washington to the improbable win.

Jose Theodore finished with 20 saves for the Capitals, whose 101 points are five better than San Jose for tops in the NHL.

"We were aware of [Chicago's] starts. They just do a really good job at the beginning of the game," Laich said. "Once it got to 3-0, Jose shut the door to give us a chance."

Washington prevailed despite not having Ovechkin available for the majority of the contest after the reigning league MVP was given a game misconduct for shoving Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell into the end boards from behind at the 12:16 mark of the first period. The hard hit was deemed excessive by the NHL office, resulting in a two-game suspension for the league's leading scorer.

The Capitals began a four-game road trip with Sunday's win and own a 20-10-5 record as the visitor for the season.