Caps get best of Cats thanks to third-period surge

Hockey Betting Lines

02/17/2012 - Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin each scored in the third period to lift the Washington Capitals over the Florida Panthers, 2-1, in a key Southeast Division battle.

Tomas Vokoun made 22 saves against his former team to help the Capitals move within two points of the division-leading Panthers.

Washington had been winless (0-2-1) since its 4-0 home win over Florida on February 7. The Panthers had gone 3-1 since that loss to the Capitals last week.

Tomas Fleischmann scored the lone goal for Florida, which got 39 saves from Jose Theodore.

Florida drew first blood with just 39.8 seconds left in the first period. Stephen Weiss carried the puck around the net and passed to Fleischmann, whose one-timer from the left circle beat Vokoun.

The Capitals outshot the Panthers by a 13-4 margin in a scoreless middle stanza.

Ovechkin finally put Washington on the board at the 4:47 mark of the third. With the Capitals on the power play, a scramble for the puck took place in front of Theodore. The disc ended up on Ovechkin's stick and the Russian star found the back of the net.

Semin put the Capitals in front with 6:33 to play, as his slapper from the top of the right circle beat Theodore. The puck deflected of the stick of Florida's Sean Bergenheim and changed direction before getting past the Panthers' netminder.

Vokoun made seven saves in the final frame to preserve the victory.

Game Notes

Washington has taken three of five from Florida this season...Ovechkin has amassed 50 points (23 goals, 27 assists) in 42 career games against the Panthers...Washington started a four-game road trip on Friday...The Capitals went 1-for-6 on the power play, while the Panthers went 0-for-3.

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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.