The Washington Capitals conclude their three game home stretch when they take on the Floirda Panthers at 5 p.m. at Capital One Arena. You can catch the game at 5 p.m. on Monumental Sports Network as well as 106.7 The Fan and Caps Radio 24/7.
The Panthers vs Capitals betting odds per Caesars have the Capitals as 1.5 goal favorites on home ice. However the moneyline is split at -110 apiece. Today's over/under is set for 5.5 goals.
#3 Treat this like a playoff game
The Caps and Panthers won't see each other in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But 13 points separate the teams as the Panthers are first in the Atlantic Division. Plus they're the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
The Panthers are also ninth in the NHL in power play success at a rate of 24.4 percent while the Caps are 16th with a rate of 22.2 percent. So it'll be vital for the Caps to stop a dangerous Florida power play.
#2 Contain their top scorers
The Panthers come into this game banged up. Matthew Tkachuk is out with a groin injury. Dmitry Kulikov recently had an upper body injury. Brad Marchand, their trade deadline prize, is also out with an upper body injury.
The Panthers are led by Sam Reinhart with 33 goals and 40 assists for 73 points. You also have to watch out for Aleksander Barkov who has 19 goals and 44 assists for 63 points.
#1 Protect home ice
Tonight's game marks the conclusion of a three game homestand and the Caps last multi game homestand of the season. Following this game as the League's best road team, Washington will play eight of their final 12 regular season games away from Capital One Arena.
The Capitals became the first team to reach the 100 point mark this season thanks to their 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night. They matched the second fewest games needed to reach the century mark in franchise history as it took them 69 games.
This season marks the 14th 100 point season in franchise history. The Capitals have earned 100 or more points in 10 of their last 14 82-game seasons and only the Boston Bruins have more 100 point seasons in that span. The Pittsburgh Penguis also have nine 100 point seasons since 2008-09.
The Capitals were on pace for over 100 points in both the shortened 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. They are also the first team to clinch a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.