Florida Panthers (58-18-6, first in the Atlantic Division) vs. Washington Capitals (44-26-12, fourth in the Metropolitan Division)
Washington; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT
LINE: Panthers -178, Capitals +149; over/under is 6.5
NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Capitals lead series 2-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Capitals host the Florida Panthers in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 2-1 lead in the series. The teams meet Saturday for the sixth time this season. The Capitals won the previous matchup 6-1.
Washington has a 44-26-12 record overall and a 19-15-5 record on its home ice. The Capitals have a +28 scoring differential, with 270 total goals scored and 242 allowed.
Florida is 58-18-6 overall and 23-9-6 in road games. The Panthers have gone 53-8-2 when scoring three or more goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: John Carlson has 17 goals and 54 assists for the Capitals. Alex Ovechkin has four goals and four assists over the last 10 games.
Anthony Duclair has scored 31 goals with 27 assists for the Panthers. Aleksander Barkov Jr. has six goals and two assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Capitals: 4-4-2, averaging 2.6 goals, 4.5 assists, 3.1 penalties and seven penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.
Panthers: 5-5-0, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.3 assists, 5.4 penalties and 15.5 penalty minutes while giving up 3.6 goals per game.
INJURIES: Capitals: Carl Hagelin: out (eye), Tom Wilson: day to day (lower body).
Panthers: Markus Nutivaara: out (undisclosed), Jonas Johansson: out (covid-19).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by
