The race for the Southeast Division lead will heat up tonight as the upstart Florida Panthers hope to defend a narrow lead over a Washington Capitals team slowly reestablishing itself as a force on the NHL betting line.

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Can the Panthers hang on to their spot among the Eastern Conference’s playoff pack? As things stand right now, the winner of the division will lay claim to the No. 3 seed in the bracket. Nobody else, however, is on pace to qualify for the top eight.

The depth of the rest of the conference makes the early week bout between two division rivals in the Southeast all the more important. Although the Panthers remain on the NHL futures list with 30/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup, they’ll have their work cut out for them against the Capitals whose reputation as a legitimate contender overshadows any recent misfortune.

With 18/1 odds on the NHL betting line, the Capitals are a threat in the eyes of hockey odds makers. So long as Alex Ovechkin is healthy and in uniform, there’s no real surprise why.

If the Panthers are to cling desperately to their first playoff berth since 2000, they’ll need to come up big against their rivals because things stand, anything less than a division championship might not be enough.

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Current Bodog NHL Betting Odds: FLA (140) | 5½ | WAS ( -170)