Florida Panthers (58-18-6, first in the Atlantic Division) vs. Washington Capitals (44-26-12, fourth in the Metropolitan Division)
Washington; Friday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Panthers -187, Capitals +156; over/under is 6.5
NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Panthers lead series 3-2
BOTTOM LINE: The Florida Panthers visit the Washington Capitals in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 3-2 lead in the series. The teams meet Wednesday for the sixth time this season. The Panthers won 5-3 in the last matchup. Carter Verhaeghe led the Panthers with two goals.
Washington is 19-15-5 in home games and 44-26-12 overall. The Capitals have scored 270 total goals (3.3 per game) to rank 10th in league play.
Florida has a 58-18-6 record overall and a 23-9-6 record on the road. The Panthers have gone 23-5-2 in games they score at least one power-play goal.
TOP PERFORMERS: Tom Wilson has scored 24 goals with 28 assists for the Capitals. T.J. Oshie has six goals and two assists over the past 10 games.
Aleksander Barkov Jr. has 39 goals and 49 assists for the Panthers. Verhaeghe has seven goals and five assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Capitals: 3-5-2, averaging 2.5 goals, 4.4 assists, 3.6 penalties and 8.3 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.
Panthers: 5-5-0, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.2 assists, 5.7 penalties and 15.6 penalty minutes while giving up 3.7 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), Mason Marchment: day to day (lower body).
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