The Presidents Trophy-winning and number one seed in the East, the Florida Panthers, start their playoff run tonight as they face off against the second wild-card position team, the Washington Capitals. The Capitals were firing on all cylinders at the end of the regular season to hopefully propel them into a higher seeding but lost the opportunity when it arose. Now they look to go against one of the best teams in the NHL right now. Can the Capitals pull off the upset tonight and take down the big bad Panthers? It’s time to find out as we continue our NHL odds series with a Capitals-Panthers prediction and pick.
Here are the Capitals-Panthers NHL Odds, Courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Capitals-Panthers Odds
Washington Capitals: +1.5 (-125) (+195 ML)
Florida Panthers: -1.5 (+100) (-245 ML)
Over: 6.5 (-128)
Under: 6.5 (+104)
Why The Capitals Can Cover The Spread/Win
The Washington Capitals aren't in great shape here as they take on the Panthers tonight. Their top goaltender in Ilya Samsonov finished the season with his worst save percentage (.896) and goals-against average (3.02) of his career. However, goaltending issues aren't the only reason why the Capitals are in trouble, they get outnumbered in just about every advanced statistic compared to the Panthers. On the bright side, superstar Alex Ovechkin will likely be playing tonight, so that should help the Caps get on the board, and they're hoping it will be enough to win the game, let alone this series.
Why The Panthers Can Cover The Spread/Win
The Florida Panthers are looking to stay hot right now as they ended the regular season with the most points, allowing them to win the Presidents' Trophy. However, with great power comes great responsibility as the Trophy has been awarded 33 times throughout the years, but only eight of those winners have gone on to win the Stanley Cup, leading to the popular superstition that the trophy may be cursed; especially if the players touch it. With that said, I don't think the curse will affect this series very much as the Panthers are on an absolute tear, leading the measurable advantages in every facet of the game.
It's assumed that Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start tonight as he posted a .913 save percentage while allowing 2.67 goals against per game on the season. He's not the best goaltender in the game, but he serves his role as the forwards in front of him never seem to have a problem getting the job done offensively.
Final Capitals-Panthers Prediction & Pick
The problem with this game being so lopsided is that so are the odds. Of course, the Panthers are going to win this game, but can you bet on them to cover the puck line at -1.5? In terms of value, that's where I'd lay my money, considering it is still in plus money.
On the series, I want to take the Panthers in five, just because you never know what can happen in the NHL playoffs, but I wouldn't be shocked in the slightest if the Panthers sweep this series against the Capitals.
Final Capitals-Panthers Prediction and Pick: Panthers -1.5 (+100)
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