Florida Panthers vs Washington Capitals Betting Picks

Maybe the Panthers had a total loss of focus after visiting the White House on Thursday in celebration of their second consecutive Stanley Cup win last season. Maybe it was complacency. But whatever it is, Florida is not the same team that it has been the past two seasons. That was made even more evident after the Hurricanes buried the Panthers, 9-1, last night in Carolina. Now the Panthers have to play the Capitals on the road and without rest. The Panthers have lost their past three games without rest, by a combined 9 goals. This is Florida's sixth straight road game. Washington is not going to be in a charitable mood. The Capitals suffered a disappointing, 3-2, home loss to the Sharks two days ago, the same day the Panthers were hobnobbing at the White House. The Capitals could get back Tom Wilson today. He has missed six games with a lower-body injury. Wilson leads Washington with 22 goals and 42 points in 41 games. His plus-20 rating is tied for second on the team. Lay 1.5 goals on the puckline with the Capitals.

The Capitals have allowed only one goal in eight of their last 13 games. It's one of the reasons they have the top-ranked defense in the NHL, allowing only 2.4 goals per game. Another reason is the stellar goaltending of Logan Thompson, who has a 1.56 GAA and a .934 save percentage. Thompson is projected to be in net today. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers remain without two key offensive cogs, injured Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov. Their scoring is way down because of that. The Panthers rank 28th in goals per game at 2.6. This has forced Florida to become extremely defensive-minded. The Panthers are a top-15 defensive team, allowing the second-fewest shots on goal. They are back home, having defeated Las Vegas, 3-2, three days ago on the road. There is only one way to look at this matchup—Take the UNDER.

Florida is 36-31-2 UNDER in 2024-25, and it is 8-1 UNDER its past nine games following a 1-0 overtime win against Columbus on Thursday. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 29 shots in his fifth shutout this season. He improved to 29-15-2 with a 2.57 goals-against average, and he is the expected starter tonight. Washington is 3-0-1 UNDER its past four games while allowing only seven goals. Logan Thompson is a candidate for the Vezina Trophy as he is 30-4-5 with a 2.35 GAA in his first season with the Capitals, who have allowed only seven goals in four games, including a 3-2 win over Philadelphia on Thursday. The Panthers have gone UNDER six of seven road games and seven of eight against Eastern Conference opponents. The Capitals have stayed UNDER four of six versus the Eastern Conference. Take the UNDER.