The Washington Capitals (7-8-2) travel to take on the Florida Panthers (8-6-1) at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday. Washington is coming off a high-scoring 6-3 loss against the Lightning on Sunday, their third defeat in a row away from home.
The Capitals committed six penalties in the game, conceding two power play goals. Garnet Hathaway, Lars Eller, and Conor Sheary each scored once for the Capitals. Darcy Kuemper saved only five of nine shots against (.555%) after starting in the loss.
Florida fell 4-2 to the Oilers on Saturday. Sam Bennett was the leading goal scorer for the Panthers, netting twice. Spencer Knight only had 28 saves on 31 shots against (.903%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The teams last met in the first round of last season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Panthers secured their place in the second round with a 4-3 (OT) win (4-2 series), their third straight win against Washington.
FACING OFF
Washington is averaging 2.88 goals per game for the season, 22nd in the NHL, and they are taking on a Panthers team that is allowing 3.07 goals a game (16th). Meanwhile, Florida has found the net 3.13 times a game on average, 15th in the league, and the Capitals are allowing opponents to score 3.06 goals per game (15th).
Florida averages more shots/game (39.6) than any other team in the league, though the team’s 8.1% shooting percentage ranks 31st. With an average of 27.8 attempts, Washington ranks 30th. Expect a few power play opportunities for the Capitals, as the Panthers have been penalized 4.93 times a game, fifth-most in the NHL, for an average of 10.67 minutes (12th-highest).
The visitors are averaging 4.24 penalties (19th) and 10.65 penalty minutes a game (13th). The Panthers’ 13.11% power play percentage is the third-worst in the league, while the Capitals rank 16th with a conversion rate of 20.31%. In terms of penalty killing, Washington has the league’s 13th-ranked PK% at 80.77%, while Florida is 24th at 75.44%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov have been the top skaters for the Capitals this season with 14 and 13 points. In the net, Kuemper (5-6-1) is Washington’s top goaltender. He has a 2.35 GAA and a .920% save percentage.
Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers in scoring with 17 points. He has five goals and 12 assists in 13 games. Knight (5-2-0) has the best goals against average for Florida at 2.31. He has a save percentage of .922%. Sergei Bobrovsky (3-4-1) has played the most games in net for the Panthers this season. He has a 3.28 GAA and a .897% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
Washington is 2-5-1 away from Capital One Arena this season. Florida is 4-1-1 at FLA Live Arena this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Over 6.5 Goals (-120)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
