Florida Panthers at Washington Capitals Betting Preview
16 February 2023
There is a full slate of NHL games on the schedule on Thursday night, including a big matchup in Washington, DC. The Capitals will host the Florida Panthers, and both teams are trying to find a way to get into the postseason.
Florida comes into this game with 60 points on the year, and that is good enough for fourth place in the Atlantic Division. The Panthers have been playing pretty well of late, as they have picked up wins in three of their last five games.
Washington has gone just 2-3 in their last five games, and the Capitals have slipped to fifth place in the Metropolitan Division. The Capitals have picked up 62 points on the year, but they clearly still have some work to do.
The Florida Panthers are the moneyline betting favorites on the road in this game, with odds set at -119.
Panthers Playing Fast
The Florida Panthers come into this game scoring 3.4 goals per game on the year, but they have also been a mess on the defensive end of the ice. Florida is allowing 3.44 goals per game, and that’s not a recipe for success for Florida.
Matthew Tkachuk is having a big season for the Panthers, as he has 48 assists and collected 75 points on the year. Florida is scoring on the power play over 22% of the time, and that unit will be a big key in this game.
The Panthers just haven’t been able to get stops at all this season, but they are catching a major break in this matchup. Florida will have to be great on the penalty kill, but that unit has been playing better of late.
Capitals Dealing With Adversity
The list of injuries for the Washington Capitals continues to grow, and they are playing without Alex Ovechkin in this game. Ovechkin is leading the team with 32 goals and 54 points, and the Capitals are going to miss that production.
Washington wasn’t even scoring that many goals with Ovechkin on the ice, as they are averaging just three goals per game. The Capitals are going to have to take some chances if they want to keep up with Florida.
The Capitals have been solid on the defensive end of the ice this season, but they are going to have a tough time dealing with the Panthers in this one.
Panthers Pick Up Road Win in Washington
Even though Washington has been better than Florida this season, this just feels like a good matchup for the Panthers. Florida has been playing better hockey of late, and that offense is really starting to click on all cylinders.
The Capitals are dealing with a ton of injuries, and not having Ovechkin on the ice is going to be a problem. Washington will fight hard to keep this game close, but they just won’t have enough offense to come through and win.
Bet the Florida Panthers -119 as they are able to find just enough offense to get past the Washington Capitals and pick up an impressive win on the road.
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All Media on this page by Associated Press.
