Free NHL Picks Today: Washington Capitals vs Florida Panthers 2/16/23

The Washington Capitals (28-22-6) play host to the Florida Panthers (27-24-6) at Capital One Arena on Thursday. Florida is coming off a high-scoring 6-2 loss against the Blues on Tuesday. The Panthers committed only two penalties in the game, yet still conceded a power play goal.

Carter Verhaeghe and Eetu Luostarinen both scored once for the Panthers. Verhaeghe added an assist to share the scoring lead with Matthew Tkachuk, who had two assists. Spencer Knight only had 22 saves on 27 shots against (.814%) in the loss.

Washington fell 3-2 to the Hurricanes on Tuesday. Joe Snively and T.J. Oshie both scored once for the Capitals. Snively added an assist to lead the team in scoring. Darcy Kuemper only had 27 saves on 30 shots against (.900%) in the loss.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Panthers won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 5-2 victory in November, their fourth straight win against Washington. Aleksander Barkov (1G 2A) and Tkachuk (0G 3A) each had three points to lead Florida. John Carlson led Washington with two points (1G 1A). Sergei Bobrovsky got the win, saving 41 of 43 shots (.953%).

FACING OFF

Florida is averaging 3.40 goals per game for the season, seventh in the NHL, and they are taking on a Capitals team that is allowing 2.82 goals a game (11th).

Meanwhile, Washington has found the net 3.04 times a game on average, 21st in the league, and the Panthers are allowing opponents to score 3.44 goals per game (23rd).

Florida averages more shots/game (35.8) than any other team in the league, though the team’s 9.6% shooting percentage ranks 23rd. Washington’s average of 31.6 attempts ranks 17th. Look for several power play opportunities for the Capitals, as the Panthers are averaging 4.81 penalties per game, most in the NHL.

The visitors’ 12.16 penalty minutes a game ranks second-highest. The home team has been penalized 3.36 times a game (3rd-fewest in the league) for an average of 7.59 minutes (4th-fewest).

The Panthers’ 21.61% power play percentage ranks 17th in the league, while the Capitals are 22nd with a conversion rate of 19.88%. When it comes to defending power plays, Washington has the league’s eighth-ranked PK% at 81.21%, while Florida is 26th at 75.48%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

With 75 points this season, fourth-most in the NHL, Tkachuk is the top skater for the Panthers. He is among the league leaders with 48 assists (5th) and has added 27 goals of his own. In the net, Bobrovsky (15-14-2) is Florida’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 3.05 GAA and a .905% save percentage.

Alex Ovechkin leads the Capitals in scoring with 54 points. He has 32 goals (8th) and 22 assists in 54 games. Kuemper (16-14-4) has the best goals against average for Washington at 2.57. He has a save percentage of .916%.