The NHL online wagering action is off to a great start and the 2010-2011 has been full of excitement.So far, several months into the season many of the great players are having the same great predictable seasons as they always have. Superstar Sidney Crosby is once again lighting up opponents’ and dishing out assists like a man possessed.
Crosby currently leads all scorers in the NHL with 54 points through 33 games (26 goals, 28 assists) and is currently in the midst of a career high 20-game scoring streak. But perhaps his most impressive stat line, at least for Penguins fans is his +/- rating of +14.
The Pens have also ridden his success to the 2nd best point total in the league (44; Flyers have 47). But the fact that the Penguins is little surprise for anyone who knows anything about NHL wagering online considering the talent this team has and the fact that these players are just a season and a half removed from winning the Stanley Cup.
But one team that has shocked the hockey masses with its performance this year has been the Washington Capitals.
And it hasn’t been in a good way.
The Caps entered this NHL online wagering season as arguably the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. This team annihilated the competition last year and finished the 2009-2010 regular seasons with the best record in the NHL (54-15 with 121). It locked up a spot in the postseason by what seemed like Valentine’s Day and won the Southeast Division by a mind-blowing 38 points.
But you’d never know by the way this team is playing so far this year.
The Caps still lead their division but that has more to do with how bad the Southeast is than how well the Caps are playing. While the team’s 40 points are 3rd best in the Eastern Conference, that total doesn’t mask this team’s faults.
Washington’s defense has been awful and has allowed the 2nd most goals (94) in the Eastern Conference and the 5th most in the entire NHL wagering online action. Even the team’s normally potent offense has been less than expected (99 GF), ranking 2nd in its own division and 8th in the NHL.
Super star Alex Ovechkin has been good (36 points) but not great, and this team needs him to be great.
The Caps have lost 7 straight games and at present look nothing like the Cup contender many online wagering experts thought they would be.