The Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals meet for a big-time Eastern Conference matchup on Tuesday night.
These teams currently lead their respective divisions and are gunning for the crown of not only the Eastern Conference, but the NHL. This will be a great test for both.
These two teams have met once this season so far, in a November game that Washington dominated in a 4-1 victory at the Amerant Bank Arena in Florida. The Panthers will be pushing to exact their revenge by beating the Caps on their home ice.
These are two elite teams that will give us must-watch hockey action. The stars are out to play with names like Alexander Ovechkin and Matthew Tkachuk hitting the ice at Capital One Arena, and to get you set for the action, here are our Panthers vs. Capitals predictions.
Washington goaltender Logan Thompson has gotten better each year in the NHL, and is in the middle of a career year. He is the Capitals’ go-to goalie, and has proven his reliability time after time. That is why he is starting this important game.
The Panthers currently lead the NHL in shots with 1,704, and are third in the league with an average of 31.6 shots per game. Plus, this is a game where Florida could find themselves trailing and may need to push hard for offense, resulting in lots of shots.
Even with lots of shots, I expect Thompson to save the majority of them, which he has done all season long. This is a great goalie that Florida will need to absolutely pepper if they want a chance to win.
A key factor to the success these teams have found has been their defensive efforts. Washington is currently fifth in goals against average (2.37), while Florida is not far behind (2.61). We could see a low-scoring affair in a game that should feel playoff-like.
Two of the top goaltenders in the NHL in Sergei Bobrovsky and Logan Thompson will be suiting up in this game, which should cause constant headaches for any offensive attacks. They should be dialed in for this big matchup.
Not only do these teams have great goaltending, but the overall rosters are built with multiple defensive stalwarts, and carry systems that do not allow many scoring chances. No matter who wins this game, I am not expecting a ton of goals.
Preparation is key in the NHL, and these teams have clearly shown this trait as they have combined for a record of 66-30-10. And that preparation is even more important when the opponent is one of the NHL’s best.
Florida head coach Paul Maurice and his Washington counterpart Spencer Carbery have been elite on the bench, and it is clear their players have bought in. Both will be stressing a strong start, which I think will happen in the game.
The firepower on each team is legit, but I think this game kicks off with energy and physicality rather than open and offensive play. Each team will be looking to make their mark early and each will be ready to do whatever it takes.
The game will eventually open up to many chances, but for the first 10 minutes, a goal will be hard to come by.
Read more betting picks and predictions for the NHL on site.
Florida Panthers | -120 ML |
Washington Capitals | +100 ML |
Puck Line | FLA Panthers -1.5 |
Total Goals | O/U 5.5 |
Alexander Ovechkin (WAS Capitals) | +135 |
Sam Reinhart (FLA Panthers) | +155 |
Matthew Tkachuk (FLA Panthers) | +225 |
Aleksander Barkov (FLA Panthers) | +225 |
Sam Bennett (FLA Panthers) | +250 |
Tom Wilson (WAS Capitals) | +250 |
Read the latest NHL news on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.