Panthers at Capitals preview

PANTHERS (22-22-8) at CAPITALS (30-18-6)
7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, NBCSWA, FS-F, NHL.TV

Luongo would tie
Patrick Roy
(1,029 games/1,003 starts) for second in NHL history in games played by a goalie behind
Martin Brodeur
(1,266/1,251). The 39-year-old is two wins from tying
Ed Belfour
(484) for third in NHL history.
Florida is 5-2-0 in its past seven after a seven-game losing streak (0-5-2). The Panthers have allowed two goals or fewer in five of their past seven games. He is 21-12-3 against the Capitals with a 2.38 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage.
The Capitals are 3-1-0 in their past four games after a seven-game losing streak (0-5-2). They begin the day in second place in the Metropolitan Division, two points behind the New York Islanders.

Players to watch

Panthers forward Frank Vatrano has eight points (four goals, four assists) in his past seven games.
Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin has eight points (four goals, four assists) in his past five games.

They said it

"They have scoring and offense. We have to maintain our game and play a simple game there." -- Panthers coach Bob Boughner
"It's important that we make their top defenseman work tonight. I think their guys…are clearly solid, good defenders and can hurt you on the offensive end if you don't make them go 200 feet. So, when we have opportunities, we have to put pucks behind them." -- Capitals coach Todd Reirden

Panthers projected lineup

Frank Vatrano -- Aleksander Barkov -- Evgenii Dadonov
Jonathan Huberdeau -- Vincent Trocheck -- Derick Brassard
Mike Hoffman -- Henrik Borgstrom -- Riley Sheahan
Troy Brouwer -- Denis Malgin -- Colton Sceviour
Keith Yandle -- Aaron Ekblad
Mike Matheson -- Mark Pysyk
Ian McCoshen
--
Josh Brown
Roberto Luongo
James Reimer
Scratched:MacKenzie Weegar, Micheal Haley, Bogdan Kiselevich
Injured:Jayce Hawryluk (lower body), Derek MacKenzie (shoulder)

Capitals projected lineup

Alex Ovechkin -- Nicklas Backstrom -- T.J. Oshie
Jakub Vrana -- Evgeny Kuznetsov -- Tom Wilson
Andre Burakovsky -- Lars Eller -- Brett Connolly
Dmitrij Jaskin -- Nic Dowd -- Travis Boyd
Michal Kempny -- John Carlson
Dmitry Orlov -- Matt Niskanen
Brooks Orpik -- Christian Djoos
Braden Holtby
Pheonix Copley
Scratched:Chandler Stephenson, Madison Bowey, Devante Smith-Pelly
Injured:None

Status report

The Panthers did not skate Saturday. … Djoos returns after missing 24 games with an injured left thigh that required surgery, meaning that the Capitals will have their full lineup available for the first time this season.

Stat pack

Barkov has eight points (two goals, six assists) in his past five games. … Holtby will play his 400th NHL game. Oshie has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in his past seven games. Kuznetsov has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his past 10 games.