The Washington Capitals host the Tampa Bay Lightning, Friday Mar 12, as the Capitals have clinched the Southeast Division with their eyes on finishing atop of the East. This is the fifth of six meetings this season between these Southeast Division rivals with the Capitals leading 3-1 SU. NHL oddsmakers at BETUS.com have the Capitals as whopping -330 moneyline favs over the Lightning (+270) with the over/under set at 6.5 goals . Be sure to get your Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals NHL Picks in early at BETUS.com
The Lightning (27-27-5-7) has lost seven of their last ten and five straight on the road. They are 9-19-4-2 on the road where they average 2.44 GAG and allow 3.68 GAG. They recently lost in Toronto 3-4 (OT). They had goals from Steven Stamkos, Kurtis Foster and Steve Downie. Goalie Mike Smith stopped 34 of 38 shots and is 2-8 in his last ten with a 4.50 GAA. Overall he’s 10-15-7 with a 3.07 GAA and a .901 SVPCT. Tampa has a six-point deficit to make up on eighth-seeded Boston. "We play hard, but hard's not good enough right now," forward Martin St. Louis said. "For us it's about results right now and we just can't seem to find that. Steve Stamkos carries an 18-game point streak and a seven-game goal-scoring streak into Friday. He has 17 goals and 16 assists during the point streak. Steve Downie is enjoying a breakout season for Tampa, with six goals and 10 assists in his last 15 games, while Martin St. Louis has 11 goals and 15 assists in his last 15 games.
The Capitals (45-13-5-4) have won six of their last ten and four of five at home. They are 26-3-2-2 at home where they average 3.97 GAG and allow 2.48 GAG. They recently beat Carolina 4-3 (OT). They got goals from Alexander Semin, Mike Green (2) and Tomas Fleischmann bagged the overtime winner. Goalie Jose Theodore stopped 28 of 31 shots and is 8-2 in his last ten with a 2.80 GAA. Overall he’s 23-7-6 with a 2.79 GAA and a .910 SVPCT. We might see goalie Simeon Varlamov in net tonight, he has won both of his starts against Tampa Bay this season , including a 3-0 shutout on Dec. 7. The Caps have a 14pt lead over second place Pittsburgh for the lead in the East. Ovechkin has two goals and two assists in Washington's last two games, giving him a League-leading 94pts. Mike Green has five goals and 11 assists in the last 12 games, and leads all defensemen in with 17 goals, 49 assists and 66pts.
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Washington.
- Over is 6-2-2 in the last 10 meetings.
- Favorite is 19-7 in the last 26 meetings.
- Lightning are 5-16 in the last 21 meetings.
- Lightning are 0-7 in the last 7 meetings in Washington.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals
When: Friday Mar 12, 2009 7:00 PM ET
Line: BETUS.com
Pick: Caps -330
Point-Spreads.com Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals NHL Picks
The Bottom Line: Tampa isn’t beating the Caps on home ice. Be sure to get your Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals NHL Picks in early at BETUS.com and receive up to 145% in Cash Bonuses and start winning today!
