A neck and neck race for the Southeast Division lead will heat up on Tuesday 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 hockey betting line.

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 betting futures list with 30/1 odds of winning theCorrellas Johnson tries to stay warm during a cold day on Sixth Street in San Francisco, Calif. on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. Johnson has been living on Sixth Street since Christmas after he was evicted from his hotel room.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

Correllas Johnson tries to stay warm during a cold day on Sixth...

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A city Department of Public Works truck was broken into on Sixth Street in San Francisco, Calif. on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

A city Department of Public Works truck was broken into on Sixth...

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Graffiti covers the site of the Tu Lan Vietnamese restaurant on Sixth Street in San Francisco, Calif. on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013, which was shut down by the health department last year.

Photo: Paul