SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers will try to get back in the win column when they host the Washington Capitals at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday.
Sitting second in the Atlantic Division at 12-8-1, the Panthers have gone 1-5-0 in the six games following their seven-game winning streak.
“Just trying to play a full 60 minutes,” forward Anton Lundell said. “We have had happened to do some mistakes we maybe haven’t done before. It’s always harder for a team to come back [from behind]. Try to be ready from the start and try and play a full 60 minutes today.”
Getting dragged into a run-and-gun game, the Panthers suffered a 7-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in their last outing on Saturday.
Nearly clawing their way back from a 5-2 deficit, the Panthers had a goal overturned in the third period that would’ve made it 5-4 due to goaltender interference.
Stretching his point streak to 13 games, Sam Reinhart scored his league-leading 16th goal of the season in the loss, giving him at least a point in 19 of 21 games this season.
Despite picking up just one win, the Panthers have led 11.25-9.52 in expected goals at 5-on-5 over their last six games.
“We all know we how we’re playing, so just get back to the basics,” Lundell said of trying to get back on track. “Don’t try to do any magic tricks right away. It’ll come when it comes. Just grind it out, stick together and stay positive. Just go out there and play together.”
Off to a strong start, the Capitals sit third in the Metropolitan Division at 13-6-1.
That being said, they’ve struggled a bit since losing the centerpiece of their squad.
In the first two games since Alex Ovechkin was knocked out of the lineup by a lower-body injury, the Capitals have gone 0-2-0 while scoring just three total goals.
Turning back the clock, the 38-year-old forward had been off to one of his best starts in recent memory prior to the injury, racking up 25 points (15 goals, 10 assists) in 18 games.
On Thursday, the Capitals announced Ovechkin would miss 4-6 weeks.
But even without the “Great 8,” the Capitals boast a surprising amount of firepower.
Helping the team rise to the top of the NHL’s offensive rankings with an average of 4.05 goals per game, Dylan Strome leads Washington in scoring with 28 points (six goals, 22 assists), while Connor McMichael sits third with 20 points, including scoring 13 goals.
“Washington plays a different game now, a different team game,” head coach Paul Maurice said of facing the Ovechkin-less Capitals. “I think in the past you felt if you could get to Ovie or close him out or eliminate that, you’d have a really good chance of winning that game. I don’t think that’s true of the way that they play [now]. They play a really good team game.”
Taking a look at some of the underlying numbers, the Capitals might also be overachieving a bit in the early goings of this season. Per NaturalStatTrick.com, they have a 61-37 edge in goals at 5-on-5, but lead just 45.65-42.35 in expected goals.
Washington's 1.054 PDO also leads the NHL.
Always a tight matchup, the Panthers went 3-0-0 against the Capitals in 2023-24, with two of the three games requiring overtime.
In their first meeting this season, the aim is to keep things simple.
“I think we can move together better,” Maurice said. “I think that would be the more general idea of what we’re trying to do. We haven’t moved the puck particularly well. We’re not a seam team or a seven-pass team the way up the ice.”
Owning a 3-3-0 record, Spencer Knight will get the nod in net for Florida.
At the time of this writing, the Capitals have yet to announce a starter.
THEY SAID IT
“It’s either a game day, a practice day or an off day. I like to play. It’s always fun to play, especially at home.” – Anton Lundell on a busy week ahead for the Panthers
“They’re going to be net-front in the slot all night long. We’re going to have to clean that area up.” – Paul Maurice on what he expects against the Capitals
FIVE CATS STATS
- Aleksander Barkov has won 80.6% of his faceoffs over the last three games.
- The Panthers have scored at least four goals in six of their 11 home games.
- The Panthers lead the NHL with five shorthanded goals.
- Sam Reinhart has lit the lamp in each of the last three games.
- Dmitry Kulikov needs one hit to tie the franchise record for his by a defenseman.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Mackie Samoskevich
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jesper Boqvist
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Nate Schmidt – Uvis Balinskis
Goaltenders
Spencer Knight
Sergei Bobrovsky
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Nov. 4: Signed F Gracyn Sawchyn to an entry-level contract
- Nov. 1: F Patrick Giles loaned to AHL Charlotte
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Monday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT-AM & 92.1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers App; SiriusXM Channel 91 / App & Streaming 931
Tickets: Click Here
