Subscribe
Follow Us
A pair of Eastern Conference foes with lofty aspirations for this season will go head-to-head as the Washington Capitals take on the Florida Panthers in the Sunshine State. Let's check out our NHL odds series where our Capitals-Panthers prediction and pick will be made.
Fresh off of a back-to-back meeting with the Tampa Bay Lightning in which they were able to split the two matchups, Washington comes into play with a pedestrian 7-8-2 overall record and will hope to kickstart things into the win column starting with a Tuesday evening bout with the Panthers.
Florida has shown cracks in their armor as well, as the Panthers have compiled an 8-6-1 record thus far but have been extremely dominant on their home ice at 4-1 overall. With tonight's entertaining showdown happening to be played at FLA Liv Arena in Sunrise, the Eastern Conference's top-seed from a year ago no doubt loves to feed off of their home crowd's energy and should play with a pep in their step later tonight.
Here are the Capitals-Panthers NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Capitals-Panthers Odds
Washington Capitals: +1.5 (-158)
Florida Panthers: -1.5 (+126)
Over: 6.5 (-106)
Under: 6.5 (-115)
Why The Capitals Could Cover The Spread
For starters, the Capitals have no excuse in finding ways to scheme up opportunities for their top-points getter in left-winger Alex Ovechkin to get going from the opening face-off. Obviously, the ‘Caps top weapon when out on the ice, Ovechkin has been rather cold of late as he has been kept out of the net in three consecutive games. With that being said, blanking Ovechkin for that prolonged of a time does not happen too often, and Washington should expect one of the greatest skates-men in franchise history to break out in a big way if the Capitals are hoping to at least cover the spread.
Article Continues Below
In addition, it will end up being extremely important for Washington to have other playmakers on the ice step up in the absence of top forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel after being suspended for a high hit against Tampa Bay on Friday. Despite being shorthanded on top of head coach Peter Laviolette missing time due to a bout with COVID, there is no question that Washington's probability of coming up with a spread-covering win will rely on some unlikely heroes within this roster's makeup. With that being said, don't be surprised if last year's Stanley Cup champion goalie in Darcy Keumper is asked to do a little more than usual to keep his squad in the game. Thus far, Keumper has a .915 save percentage and is only allowing 2.63 goals per game.
Why The Panthers Could Cover The Spread
With some of the highest preseason expectations in club history after going a mind-blowing 58-18-6 a season ago, the Panthers somewhat slow start has made Florida fans slightly uneasy in the team's first 15 games. However, this is a squad that is still loaded with talent from each blue line and also possesses an absurd amount of speed to leave the opposition in awe.
If the Panthers are going to not only cover the spread but also rebound quickly after losing to Edmonton 4-2 on Saturday, they will need to establish a rhythm for defenseman Aaron Ekblad and winger Matthew Tkachuk as the duo finally returned to the lineup after sitting out the last several games due to injury and suspension. While Ekblad and Tkachuk should provide a much-needed boost and will be a sight for sore eyes for this Panthers squad, they are still most likely a little rusty and will need to shake it off with some stellar and productive shifts. Despite missing the two games due to suspension, Tkachuk still leads the Panthers in points and assists and should be the main focal point of an offense that is accumulating 3.13 goals per game so far this year.
Not to mention, but outside of what should be an electric atmosphere in Sunrise, Florida, the Panthers will be reliant on goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Not having played since Nov. 5th in a 5-4 loss to the Kings, Bobrovsky is 3-4-1 with a 3.29 goals against allowed in his starts and will need to play a stellar opening frame to get some confidence under his wings. If Florida finds themselves trailing in the early parts of this one, then it may end up being too challenging for Florida to come back and treat their fans with a victory.
Final Capitals-Panthers Prediction & Pick
Although both of these teams were on the opposite sides of the spectrum a season ago, they have been more similar than not through the first few weeks of the NHL season. By the time the final horn sounds, the slumping Capitals will have done enough to at least cover the spread in this one.
Final Capitals-Panthers Prediction & Pick: Capitals +1.5 (-188)
