WASHINGTON D.C. – Grab the popcorn and a good seat for this one.
Closing out their road trip, the Atlantic Division-leading Florida Panthers (42-24-3) will pay a visit to the Metropolitan and Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals (46-15-8) on Saturday at Capital One Arena at 5 p.m. ET.
Pushing for their first win against the Capitals this season, the Panthers fell 4-1 on Nov. 25 and 6-3 on Feb. 4.
“Actually, I haven’t minded our game (in the two meetings),” head coach Paul Maurice said ahead of the matchup. “I think we’ve played pretty well in there.”
Aiming to build off their last win on Thursday, the Panthers defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0 in overtime after captain Aleksander Barkov fired a rocket down the slot and past Elvis Merzlinkins.
Per NHL Stats, Barkov’s goal was his 10th career overtime winner, tying Olli Jokinen for the most in franchise history.
In the win, Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves to earn his third straight shutout against Columbus.
Gaining two more points, the Panthers remain tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs and two points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the division’s top spot.
Playing a crucial part in the victory, Panthers executed on both sides of special teams.
A reflection of the season, the Panthers rank ninth on the power play and 10th on the penalty kill in the NHL.
“It was huge,” Barkov said on the special teams’ performance. “The penalty kill was great and obviously the power play there at the end was good, too.”
Going against the lethal offense of Washington, a similar defensive approach will need to be replicated to help get the two points.
Drawing back into Florida’s lineup for the first time since Jan. 22, with the absence of Dmitry Kulikov due to an upper-body injury, Tobias Bjornfot fit right into the pairings on Thursday.
“I thought Tobi was great tonight,” Maurice said after the win in Columbus.
Logging 16:47 of ice time alongside Niko Mikkola, the Swedish D-man registered a hit and team high-three blocked shots.
With no morning skate, stay tuned closer to puck drop on who will be between the pipes ahead of Saturday’s game.
Awaiting the Panthers arrival, the Capitals enter Saturday’s tilt tied with the Winnipeg Jets in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy with a league-leading 100 points.
Getting the better of the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday with a 3-2 win, the Capitals became the first team in the NHL to clinch a playoff spot.
Potting one of Washington’s goals, Alexander Ovechkin now finds himself within seven goals of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record (894).
A man on a mission, Ovechkin has found the back of the net 35 times this season, despite missing 16 games earlier in the campaign because of a broken leg.
Having an underrated season, another guy the Panthers will have to watch for is center Dylan Strome, who’s racked up 67 points (22 goals, 45 assists) in 69 games.
Rostering two all-star defensemen on the back end that can dish and score, John Carlson has 45 points (four goals, 41 assists) and Jakob Chychrun owns 43 points (18 goals, 25 assists) on the season.
Carrying two viable options in net that can steal a game, the Capitals will either go with Logan Thompson (30-4-5, .917 save percentage, 2.29 goals-against average) or Charlie Lindgren (16-11-3, .901 save percentage, 2.63 goals against-average).
THEY SAID IT
“We’re going to try to keep the big guy under seven.” – Paul Maurice on Alex Ovechkin’s chase for the all-time goal record
“Winning always helps the mood.” – Aleksander Barkov after the win over the Columbus Blue Jackets
FIVE CATS STATS
- Carter Verhaeghe has 23 points in 17 games (including playoffs) against Washington as a Panther.
- Nate Schmidt played 200 games for the Washington Capitals.
- The Panthers’ 1-0 win vs. Columbus on Thursday was the first 1-0 win by the team on the road since April 1, 2010 in Boston.
- Carter Verhaeghe is expected to skate in his 400th game.
- Sam Reinhart’s 40 assists are the second most on the team behind Aleksander Barkov (44).
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Evan Rodrigues
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Nico Sturm – Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Seth Jones
Niko Mikkola – Tobias Bjornfot
Uvis Balinskis – Nate Schmidt
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- March 18: D Tobias Bjornfot recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- March 7:Acquired forward Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins for a conditional 2027 second-round selection
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Saturday, March 22 at 5 p.m. ET
Where: Capital One Arena – Washington D.C.
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT-AM & 1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Cats on Tap: Click Here
