Two of the Eastern Conference’s best will meet tonight in the Sunshine State as the Florida Panthers and their 11-1 SU home record host the Metro-leading Washington Capitals.
Both clubs have already met twice this month in a pair of high-scoring affairs, with each team picking up a victory, but it's the home Panthers that are NHL betting favorites for Round 3.
Can the Panthers continue their ridiculous home success and keep pace in the Atlantic? Can the Capitals maintain their lead in the Metro? Find out on our free NHL picks and predictions for Capitals vs. Panthers on Tuesday, November 30.
Capitals vs Panthers odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Florida opened at -145 with a total of 6. In the November 26 meeting, the game closed as a pick ‘em with a total of 6. Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Capitals vs Panthers predictions
Predictions made on 11/30/2021 at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Capitals vs Panthers game info
• Location: FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, FL
• Date: Tuesday, November 30, 2021
• Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports Florida, NBCSWA
Capitals vs Panthers betting preview
Injuries
Capitals: Conor Sheary F (Questionable), Justin Schultz D (Out), T.J. Oshie F (Out), Nicklas Backstrom F (Out).
Panthers: Anthony Duclair F (Out), Aleksander Barkov F (Out), Gustav Forsling D (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Capitals vs Panthers head-to-head record (since 2018)
Capitals: 4-5 SU, 35 goals for.
Panthers: 5-4 SU, 36 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 7-0 in the last seven head-to-head meetings. Find more NHL betting trends for Capitals vs. Panthers.
Capitals vs Panthers picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Moneyline analysis
It’s only been five days since these two Eastern Conference powerhouses last met, when the Capitals skated away with a 4-3 home victory and gave Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky his first loss in regulation this season. Bobo will have his chance at righting that wrong Tuesday as he’s been the confirmed starter, but can the team in front of him manage all the injuries and shake off a two-game losing skid?
Florida will be without its two top scorers in Aleksander Barkov and Anthony Duclair, along with Gustav Forsling, who is second amongst Florida defencemen in points. It may be no coincidence that the Panthers have dropped two straight games (one of those being against the Caps) and are coming off a 4-1 home loss at the hands of the Kraken, who were +174 underdogs.
Bobrovsky has been one of the best goaltenders in the league this season and leads the NHL in goals saved above expected/60. He is the No. 2 betting favorite to win the Vezina but doesn’t come into Tuesday’s tilt in the best form. He’s allowed three or more goals in three of his last five games and the Capitals lit him up for three goals in just over 45 minutes last week (he exited after the second goal but did return later in the period).
The Capitals, somehow, may be flying under the radar as one of the best teams in the league. Washington has won nine of its last 11 and some of those wins are impressive: Carolina, Florida, and Pittsburgh. Alex Ovechkin and the power play have scored in three straight games and the team has killed 23 of its last 24 penalties.
Losing T.J. Oshie hasn’t slowed the offense down either, as the Caps have scored 16 goals in the four games without their first-line winger. Aliaksei Protas has fit well on the top line and has three points in his last two games playing with Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Ilya Samsonov has taken over the No. 1 job in the Washington crease and sports an impressive 9-0-1 record, including winning six straight starts in regulation.
The line movement is showing a little favor to the visitors and the ML closed at -145 in a November 4 meeting in Florida. The Panthers were much healthier then and the Caps forced OT after trailing 4-1 at one point. Give us the visitors on the ML against a shorthanded home team that is 4-6 SU in its last 10.
Prediction: Capitals ML (+125)
Over/Under analysis
Both teams are fairly neutral in their O/U records but the Capitals are riding a four-game Over streak and the two meetings this year have seen a total of 16 goals scored — with each team scoring at least three goals in each of those meetings.
Both goalies have been more than solid this season but neither Bobrovsky nor Samsonov played flawlessly in the most previous matchup: Bob allowed three goals in that game while Samsonov has given up six goals to the Panthers in 85 minutes of action in the two meetings this season.
Both teams sit in the Top 10 in goals per game in November while Florida’s 3.08 goals allowed per game mark ranks in the Bottom 10. Florida is struggling to keep out power-play goals over the last 30 days, surrendering seven goals while shorthanded over its last 10 games and three over its last four.
Of the 16 goals that were scored in the previous two meetings, 13 were scored at 5-on-5. Both of those meetings closed at 6, either -110 or shaded to the Over. Each team has shown it can score in this matchup and if Ovi and the Caps can get some extra time with the man advantage, this game could resemble the previous two meetings.
Prediction: Over 6 (-110)
Best bet
Florida went 11-0 SU at home to start the season and needed a win over the Kraken to set an NHL record but fell short in a 4-1 loss to the expansion team. The loss was the club’s sixth in its last 10 games as this is the worst stretch of hockey — from a victory standpoint — all season from tonight's home team. The losses of Barkov, Duclair, and Forsling are tough ones to overcome — especially against an elite opponent like the Capitals.
Samsonov has yet to lose in regulation this season and Bobrovsky could be regressing to his previous season form as he owned a near-3.00 goals-against average over the last two seasons. Bobrovsky having to leave the November 26 meeting also gives us a little bit of concern considering he was dealing with an upper-body injury not long ago.
Washington closed at +130 road dogs back on November 4 and that was against a healthier Florida team.
Pick: Capitals ML (+125)
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