NHL Preview: New-Look Caps Host Lightning

With the 2009-10 NHL Trade Deadline now in the books, teams will begin the process of integrating their new acquisitions as the push for the postseason truly heats up. One of the biggest movers on the day, the Washington Capitals, will roll out a group of new faces this evening as they host Southeast Division rivals Tampa Bay at the Verizon Center.

Let’s take a quick look at the various NHL hockey betting options for this evening, with all sports betting lines courtesy the Sports Interaction online sportsbook:

Tampa Bay Lightning (3.35) at Washington Capitals (1.34)

The big news in Washington, obviously, is the movement made by GM George McPhee yesterday. McPhee added several key role players to his team as they look for the first-ever Stanley Cup in franchise history.

The Caps acquired four players — Joe Corvo, Scott Walker, Eric Belanger and Milan Jurcina — to bolster an already impressive lineup. In Corvo and Walker, the Caps get two gritty, veteran players with loads of postseason experience; Corvo was a solid presence for Ottawa during its Stanley Cup run back in 2007, while Walker was a high-energy asset for the Carolina Hurricanes during last year’s run to the Eastern Conference finals. Belanger is a versatile two-way center currently in the midst of a career year (13G, 22A) while Jurcina, despite being injured, should be a nice physical addition and very familiar to Caps players — he spent four years in Washington before being dealt to Columbus earlier this season.

The Lightning will be in tough facing a fired-up Caps crowd that will undoubtedly be excited about the new additions to the lineup. Tampa is also coming off a tough 7-2 loss to Philly in its first game back from Olympic play; add in the fact the Lightning have already lost two of three to the Caps this season, and it stands to be a very difficult matchup.

In other NHL hockey betting lines for this evening…

Toronto Maple Leafs (2.60) at Boston Bruins (1.53) — Both teams shook things up a bit at the deadline. Toronto sent 19-goal scorer Alexei Ponikarovsky to Pittsburgh while Boston moved defenceman Derek Morris to Phoenix before acquiring blueliner Dennis Seidenberg from Florida. Both teams are also coming off bad losses post-Olympic break; the Leafs were throttled 5-1 at home by Carolina while the B’s lost 4-1 to Montreal, continuing the theme that has plagued Boston throughout the season — the team can’t score goals.

Colorado Avalanche (2.35) at Phoenix Coyotes (1.63) — One of those weird scheduling incidents that just so happens to play nicely into what occurred at the trade deadline. These two made a fairly significant swap with each other yesterday; the Avs traded second-leading scorer Wojtek Wolski to Phoenix in exchange for Peter Mueller (8th overall pick in 2006) and former Hobey Baker winner Kevin Porter. The Coyotes didn’t stop with the addition of Wolski, however — the surprise team in the NHL this year made it clear they’re looking to make some noise in the playoffs by adding Mathieu Schneider, Derek Morris, Lee Stempniak and Petteri Nokelainen.

To check out these and all the other NHLbetting lines for this evening, be sure to visit the Sports Interaction online sportsbook!