Washington Capitals (44-26-12, fourth in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Florida Panthers (58-18-6, first in the Atlantic Division)
Sunrise, Florida; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Panthers -227, Capitals +186; over/under is 6.5
NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Series tied 2-2
BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Capitals visit the Florida Panthers for game five of the first round of the NHL Playoffs with the series tied 2-2. The teams meet Monday for the sixth time this season. The Panthers won 3-2 in overtime in the previous meeting. Carter Verhaeghe led the Panthers with two goals.
Florida has a 58-18-6 record overall and a 32-6-0 record on its home ice. The Panthers have scored 337 total goals (4.1 per game) to lead the league.
Washington is 24-8-5 in road games and 44-26-12 overall. The Capitals are 10th in the league with 270 total goals (averaging 3.3 per game).
TOP PERFORMERS: Aleksander Barkov Jr. has 39 goals and 49 assists for the Panthers. Sam Reinhart has six goals and two assists over the past 10 games.
Evgeny Kuznetsov has 24 goals and 54 assists for the Capitals. T.J. Oshie has scored four goals with two assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Panthers: 5-5-0, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.2 assists, 5.7 penalties and 15.3 penalty minutes while giving up 3.6 goals per game.
Capitals: 3-4-3, averaging 2.5 goals, 4.4 assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.6 penalty minutes while giving up three goals per game.
INJURIES: Panthers: Markus Nutivaara: out (undisclosed), Jonas Johansson: out (covid-19).
Capitals: Carl Hagelin: out (eye), Tom Wilson: day to day (lower body).
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