The Florida Panthers (27-24-6) make the 3rd stop on a 4-game road trip against the Washington Capitals (28-22-6) Thursday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Panthers vs. Capitals odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Panthers were stomped 6-2 by the St. Louis Blues Tuesday, getting no love on Valentine’s Day. Florida will be glad to get back to facing Eastern Conference teams, as the Panthers are 5-1-2 across the past 8 games against teams from the East.
The Capitals are playing shorthanded right now, as superstar LW Alex Ovechkin has returned to Russia due to the death of his father. To make matters worse, RW Tom Wilson is sidelined due to a lower-body ailment, and key players D John Carlson and C Nic Dowd are also on the shelf with injuries, too.
Washington has dropped its last 2 games — both at home — falling 4-1 to the San Jose Sharks Sunday and 3-2 Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday. The Caps are averaging just 2 goals per game across the past 8 outings, and unsurprisingly the Under is 5-1-1 in the previous 7 contests.