WASHINGTON, D.C. – The two division leaders in the Eastern Conference will clash when the Florida Panthers visit the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Tuesday.
With championship aspirations on both sides of the ice, Panthers currently sit atop the Atlantic Division at 32-19-3, while the Capitals lead the Metropolitan Division at 34-11-7.
“They’re a really good team,” said forward Carter Verhaeghe. “They beat us in our building this year, and I remember it was a tough matchup. They’re really good and playing really well. They’re physical, they can score, and they have kind of everything. They’re in first place for a reason, so it’s up to us to come in here and play a solid road game.”
Winners in six of their last seven games, the Panthers enter tonight’s tilt on the heels of a perfect 3-0-0 homestand that culminated with a 6-3 win over the New York Islanders on Sunday.
Heating up, Verhaeghe led the charge against New York, tallying the fourth hat trick of his career to help the Panthers claw back from a 3-2 deficit. Evan Rodrigues, Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk also touched twine, while Aleksander Barkov dished out three assists.
In net, Spencer Knight made 31 saves.
Looking at the homestand as a whole, the Panthers couldn’t have done much better.
In addition to leading 14-4 in goals, they fired off an average of 38.7 shots per game.
Nine different players recorded multiple points over the three games, with Verhaeghe, Tkachuk, Reinhart and Barkov all racking up six points each. Between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky (2-0-0) and Knight (1-0-0) combined for a stellar .955 save percentage.
“We love playing in front of our home fans, and to be able to get wins at home is huge,” Verhaeghe said. “Any time we go home and do that and play in front of our fans, it’s always a boost and definitely gives us a little momentum going on this road trip.”
After missing the last two games due to an illness, Mackie Samoskevich skated this morning but isn’t expected to return to the lineup until Thursday’s game at St. Louis.
Owning a 4-0-0 record with an outstanding .953 save percentage over his last four starts, Bobrovsky, who sits at 22-11-2 on the season, will get the nod in net against Washington.
Perhaps one of the NHL’s biggest surprises, the Capitals continue to roll.
Earning points in nine of the last 10 games (7-1-2), Washington enters tonight’s matchup looking to rebound from a 5-4 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
Trailing 4-2 in the third period, Tom Wilson and Alex Ovechkin each lit the lamp to even the score for the Capitals and get the game to overtime. In the extra frame, Josh Morrissey scored to lock in the win for the Jets.
A high-octane offense, the Capitals rank second in the NHL with 3.50 goals scored per game. Also ranking 11th on the power play at 23%, a good chunk of their offensive damage comes with play at 5-on-5, where they rank ninth in the NHL with 1,181 scoring chances.
Dylan Strome leads Washington in scoring with 50 points (15 goals, 35 assists), while Aliaksei Protas ranks second with 43 points (21 goals, 22 assists). Not far behind, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Connor McMichael have logged 39 and 39 points, respectively.
But just as it has been for the last two decades, Ovechkin remains the center of attention.
Even at 39 years old, the “Great 8” is still one of the game’s most-dangerous shooters, leading the Capitals with 24 goals. Chasing history, he needs just 17 goals to match Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894.
“It’s honestly insane,” Verhaeghe said of Ovechkin, who's scored in each of his last two games. “It seems any time he has a down year or whatever, the next year he always heats up. He’s obviously the best goal scorer of all time. Being able to play against him is something special. Growing up, he was probably one of my favorite players.”
In their first meeting this season, the Capitals topped the Panthers 4-1 in Sunrise.
A tighter game than the final score suggests, two of Washington’s goals were empty-netters.
Logan Thompson, who made 20 saves in the win, will get the start tonight for the Capitals.
In his first season with Washington, Thompson is 23-2-4 with a .924 save percentage.
With the home stretch fast approaching, tonight’s game will offer a test for both teams.
“Everybody is testing now,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “You’re starting to measure a little bit. I never liked the measuring-stick game because it’s one game. Who you are a week later might look completely different, which would be a problem for you. But it is going to be hard and fast. Their systems are almost identical to us. There’s only one or two things we do differently, and it’s not major things.”
THEY SAID IT
“I love Carter [Verhaeghe] getting going last game. That was fun to watch. I feel like he brings such a dynamic to our team. When he gets going, it’s fun to be a part of.” – Nate Schmidt
“In the last three games that we’ve played, our first [period] has been very strong. I didn’t love our second period [last game], but we had a lead going into the third and we pushed in the third.” – Paul Maurice
FIVE CATS STATS
- Aleksander Barkov has notched 27 points (10G, 17A) in 25 career games vs. Washington.
- The Panthers rank first in the NHL with 1,526 hits.
- Matthew Tkachuk has scored four goals over his last five games.
- The Panthers lead the NHL with 23 wins when scoring first.
- The Panthers rank fourth in the NHL with 3.41 goals per game on the road.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Jesper Boqvist – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Evan Rodrigues
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Uvis Balinskis – Nate Schmidt
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Jan. 31: D Adam Boqvist claimed on waivers by New York Islanders
- Jan. 26: D Tobias Bjornfot loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Capital One Arena – Washington, D.C.
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 92.1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Cats on Tap: Click Here
