Capitals' Theodore shuts out Panthers

Hockey Betting Lines

03/17/2009 - Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Theodore was spectacular between the pipes, stopping 19-of-19 shots, as the Washington Capitals shut out the Florida Panthers, 3-0, at BankAtlantic Center.

Theodore improved to 28-15-4 on the year and collected his second shutout of the season. Brooks Laich, Viktor Kozlov, and Mike Green scored for the Capitals, who bounced back from a 5-1 loss to Atlanta on Monday. John Erskine tallied two helpers for Washington.

Washington defenseman Green returned to the lineup after missing Monday's game with flu-like symptoms. Green leads all NHL blueliners with 25 goals.

Alex Ovechkin failed in his second chance to become the first Capitals player to ever notch three separate 50-goal seasons.

Tomas Vokoun stopped 22 shots in defeat for the Panthers, who have lost four straight and five of their last six games. Florida hadn't dropped four in a row since doing so from December 26-31.

Defenseman Bryan McCabe returned to the lineup for the Panthers after missing the last three games due to facial surgery required after he was hit with a puck versus St. Louis on March 7.

After a scoreless first period, Florida gained the first power play of the contest at the 4:22 mark of the second frame. But it was the Capitals that ended up scoring during the Panthers' man advantage.

Laich notched a short-handed goal at the 5:46 mark, firing a wrister from the left circle that deflected off the inside of the right post and into the net for his 18th of the year.

Florida had two more power plays in the second stanza, but failed to capitalize on either. The Panthers fired a total of five shots on goal during their three man-advantage opportunities. Florida also outshot Washington 11-6 in the period, but headed to the third period down 1-0.

After the Panthers killed off an early power play in the third, Kozlov lit the lamp for Washington to give the visitors a 2-0 lead with 17:24 remaining. Kozlov maneuvered with the puck from the left point to the left circle before snapping a wrist shot past the stick-side of Vokoun.

Green scored an empty-net goal with 1:27 remaining to ruin any hopes of a comeback for Florida.

Game Notes

Florida went 0-for-4 on the power play, while Washington was 0-for-1 with the man advantage...The Capitals are 3-2 against the Panthers this season. The club has also won in three straight and four of its last five visits to BankAtlantic Center...The Capitals improved to 18-13-4 on the road.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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