The Washington Capitals welcome the Florida Panthers to Capital One Arena for their first meeting of the season tonight as both clubs continue to battle through some key injuries.
While Washington star Alex Ovechkin has had a slow start to his campaign with just two goals in 10 games, Sam Reinhart has been a key contributor for Florida with a team-leading eight goals and 13 points through the first month and NHL odds like the visitors.
Find out if Reinhart can lead his team to victory in our Panthers vs Capitals NHL picks and predictions for Wednesday, November 8.
Panthers vs Capitals odds
Panthers vs Capitals predictions
After finishing sixth in the NHL in goals per game last season (3.51), the Florida Panthers have gotten off to a sluggish start, averaging just 2.82 goals per contest — tied for 22nd in the league. A big reason for that has been a lack of production from their stars, as only one player on the team has scored more than four goals so far.
Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk have both been relatively snake-bitten to start the year, with Tkachuk converting on a mere 3.7% of his shots. Things have gone the other way for Sam Reinhart, though, who’s collected a team-leading eight goals and 13 points through 11 games while shooting 21.6%.
Reinhart has cooled off a bit lately with just two assists over his last three outings, but he found the back of the net in six of eight games to start the season. The Panthers forward has also loved playing against the Capitals in recent years as he’s scored in five straight meetings and six of his last seven vs. Washington.
While that kind of sustained success against a given team is not predictive, the Capitals have featured middling goaltending on the year with a .900 save percentage.
With Darcy Kuemper likely starting between the pipes, those odds could tilt even more in Reinhart's favor as he has allowed three or more goals in four of his last six with his best performance coming against the particularly pitiful San Jose Sharks. Reinhart has also been skating on the Panthers' top power-play unit, further boosting his chances should the Panthers skate with the man advantage.
With the Panthers lacking a ton of scoring threats right now, I’ll look for Reinhart to be the one who gets it done with another goal tonight.
My best bet: Sam Reinhart anytime goal (+145 at DraftKings)
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Panthers vs Capitals same-game parlay
Sam Reinhart anytime goal
Panthers to score first
Panthers moneyline
Along with a goal from Reinhart, I’ll also be looking for the Panthers to score first and take the win in tonight’s matchup as part of our same-game parlay.
The Capitals have been heating up over the last 10 days or so, but a couple of their wins came against lower-end teams like the Sharks and Blue Jackets, so I’m not sure if we can really say they’ve turned things around. The Panthers have also won six straight meetings against the Caps and represent a much steeper hill to climb.
Florida has scored first in five of its 11 games, going 4-0-1 in those contests, while Washington has opened the scoring just twice in 10 outings, so look for the visitors to break the ice and hold on for the victory.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Panthers vs Capitals moneyline and Over/Under analysis
The Panthers come into this one as the road favorite, opening at -137 on the moneyline, with tonight’s total set at 6.5 goals. As touched on in the same-game parlay, I’ll be looking for the visitors to take two points while also cashing the Over.
Florida hasn’t played its best hockey — as evidenced by some low totals from star players — and has been without Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour, the club’s top two defensemen, for the entire season so far. However, the Panthers have managed to stay above water, going 6-2-1 over their last nine games.
Washington's scoring woes have been even worse than Florida's, averaging just 1.90 GPG — second worst in the league and one of two teams under 2.00 GPG alongside San Jose (1.17). With Alex Ovechkin still slumping, I think the Panthers should have the edge offensively to get it done.
Given how sluggish both offenses have been to start a season, I think you could make an argument to take the Under on 6.5 goals tonight, but these teams seem to light the lamp nonstop when they face off.
The Over is 4-1 in the last five meetings with the two teams combining for at least six goals in nine of their last 10 meetings, so even a low-scoring game between Florida and Washington could feature at least six or seven tallies.
Panthers vs Capitals betting trend to know
The Over is 7-2 in the last nine meetings in Washington. Find more NHL betting trends for Panthers vs. Capitals.
Panthers vs Capitals game info
| Location: | Capital One Arena, Washington, DC |
| Date: | Wednesday, November 8, 2023 |
| Puck drop: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TNT |
Panthers vs Capitals latest injuries
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