In their first of three head-to-head meetings this season, the Florida Panthers and the Washington Capitals face off at Capital One Arena in an Eastern Conference tilt. The opening face-off takes place at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, October 19, and you’ll be able to witness it live on NBC Sports Washington.
Florida Panthers vs. Washington Capitals Odds
Washington enters the matchup as the obvious favorite with a moneyline of -170. The line for Florida sits at +150 and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
The Capitals are 3-3 straight up (SU) and have lost 0.1 units for moneyline bettors thus far. That early-season winning percentage is a regression from the 49-33 record that the team managed during the 2017-18 season campaign. Through six regular season matches, four of the team’s games have gone over the total, while two have gone under and none have pushed. The team is 3-1 SU at home thus far.
Washington has successfully found the net on 39.1 percent of its power play chances in 2018-19. That’s a big improvement from last season, when it was ranked fifth in the league by scoring on 24.1 percent of its extra-man chances. Its penalty kill has fallen off noticeably year-over-year as the team’s gone from successfully defending 79.4 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked 19th overall last season) to 72.7 percent this year.
Washington, as a collective unit, has been called for penalties 4.2 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 4.0, the mark in the league. After serving an average of 9.5 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has been forced to kill penalties for 9.3 minutes per outing this season.
With a .898 save percentage and 28.2 saves per game, Braden Holtby (3-2-1) has been the most dependable goalkeeper for the Capitals this season. If head coach Todd Reirden decides to rest him, however, the team could roll with Pheonix Copley (0-1-1 record, .833 save percentage, 6.03 goals against average).
The Caps will continue to rely on leadership from Evgeny Kuznetsov and John Carlson. Kuznetsov (10 points) is up to four goals and six assists while Carlson has three goals and six assists to his credit so far in the season’s early stages.
Over on the visiting bench, Florida is 0-4 straight up (SU) and has lost 5.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. A total of two of its matches have gone over the total, while an additional two have gone under the total and none have pushed. Florida’s 0-2 SU as the away team this season.
Florida’s scored on 6.7 percent of its power play chances this year after successfully converting on 18.9 percent of its extra-man opportunities last season (a mark that was just below league average). The team has gone from successfully defending 80.3 percent of opponent power plays (ranked 15th overall last season) to 75.0 percent this year.
Florida’s players have been called for penalties 3.5 times per game this season. Last season, that number was at 4.1, which was the sixth-highest mark in the league. After serving an average of 11.0 penalty minutes per game a year ago (second-most in the league), the team’s had to stave off opponent power plays for 9.0 minutes per matchup this season.
The winless James Reimer (23.0 saves per game) has been the main option in goal for Florida. Reimer owns a 0-3-1 record, and has registered a .885 save percentage and 3.62 goals against average this year.
Evgenii Dadonov (two goals, two assists) and Keith Yandle (zero goals, four assists) have been standout playmakers for Florida and will pace the attack for the visiting Panthers.
Florida Panthers at Washington Capitals Betting Predictions
Free Pick: SU Winner – Capitals, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes
After posting a 3-3 record in games decided by a shootout last year, Florida is off to a 0-2 start in shootouts this season. Washington was 3-1 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
The over has hit in three of Washington’s last five games.
Florida has yet to play in a game where the outcome was decided by two or more goals.
Florida skaters registered 20.2 hits per game last season, while the Caps logged 24.2 hits per matchup.
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