Sports Betting Overview
Former long-time Washington Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig gets asked to come back to Washington and join the Capitals organization as associate goaltending coach and he instantly gets on the bad side of Alex Ovechkin. Kolzig has a history of saying what is on his mind and most people that heard his comments knew that Kolzig meant no disrespect. But while many people are betting March Madness, others are trying to figure out why the Capitals cannot win games. Whether it is fair or not, most people are pointing at captain Alex Ovechkin. Even teammates are starting to say that the Capitals’ star player is getting too wrapped up in his own press. The current knock against Ovechkin is that he is not playing like a team player and is trying to win games on his own. In Ovechkin’s defense, at least he is trying to win games for Washington.

It has been a while since the Ottawa Senators have been the ones in the playoff hunt and the Capitals were out of the top eight. Price per head bookie experts are quick to point out that the Senators are only four points away from challenging the Boston Bruins for the lead in the Northeast Division. But he Senators have weaknesses that tend to get exploited from time to time. If the Capitals can pull it together for one game, then the Caps can take advantage of those weaknesses and get two badly needed points.

Washington Capitals
A betonline.com review of the Eastern Conference standings shows that the Capitals are in ninth place and three points out of a playoff spot. The biggest concern for the Capitals needs to be how tight the Eastern Conference standings really are. Only eight points separates the Capitals from last place Carolina. The Capitals are 3-4-3 in the last 10 games and are riding a two-game losing streak. If the Capitals are trying to finish in last place in the Eastern Conference, then it is doing everything right. If Washington wants to start moving back up the standings, then it will need to put some wins together starting with this game.

Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are one of the most difficult teams to bet in the NHL because of the inconsistency of goaltender Craig Anderson. Anderson is one of the main reasons why the Senators are locked into an Eastern Conference playoff spot. But he is also one of the main reasons why the Senators have given up 183 goals this year, which is the second-highest total in the NHL. Some night Anderson is great, other nights he looks awful and gets pulled by the second period. The key is getting pressure on Anderson and trying to disrupt his game. The Capitals have the personnel to disrupt things in front of the Ottawa net. It is just a matter of whether or not the Capitals can get the job done.

The Bottom Line
Washington needs this game but it may not play like it wants the game. Washington is a horrible road team and that will be one of the main factors in determining how this game plays out.

Pick: Ottawa Senators