T.M. Selection: Florida Panthers -1.5.

I like the Florida Panthers puckline in this game against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. The Panthers evened up the series in their most recent game getting their home advantage back in this series and now have a chance to take the series lead on home ice in this game. The Panthers have already shown glimpses of that killer team they were all regular season in the 2nd game of this series when they evened it up 1-1 with a big bounce back win 5-1 on home ice. They stepped up then to even it up 1-1 and then stumbled in Washington but stepped up again in their previous game to even it up once more at 2-2 and I think they will step up again here coming back home for a chance to take the lead. Their goaltending has been hit or miss in this series but it was a lot better in that previous game and their defensive effort overall was great since the Capitals didn't really get a lot of shots on net in that game. It took a big effort from the Panthers to tie the game with the pulled goalie and then force an OT where they won the game. I think they will have all the momentum on their side here coming home and I expect the home crowd to energize them here. They have put the pressure back on the Capitals to steal another road game and I think that they will play more like they did in the 2nd game of this series, winning it with a big home effort. The Panthers showed us all year that they have the offense to compete with anyone in the league and after their previous game, they have shown a great defensive ability too. I expect this to be a big game for the Panthers to step up in and I see them answering the call tonight. I like the Panthers puckline in this game.

T.M. Prediction: 4-1 Panthers.