Washington at Florida (-140, 5o-120)
Where: BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, Florida
THE STORY: Washington, which leads Florida by one point, attempts to increase its advantage without Alex Ovechkin. The captain will serve the third and final game of his suspension for his hit on Pittsburgh’s Zbynek Michalek on Jan. 22. The Capitals have earned three of a possible four points without Ovechkin but are 0-0-1 on their three-game road trip. Florida has dropped three straight at home and seven of nine overall.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Maryland Plus (Washington), FSN (Florida)
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (26-19-4): Pleased with its ability to overcome a 3-1 deficit and earn a point before falling to Tampa Bay in overtime on Tuesday, Washington knows what’s at stake when it takes on the Panthers. “We’re playing the team we’re battling to get on top of the Southeast, so it’ll be a huge two points for us,” center Mathieu Perreault told the Washington Times. Joel Rechlicz made his Capitals debut on Tuesday, accumulating less than two minutes of ice time on two shifts. The 24-year-old right wing, who last played in the NHL with the New York Islanders in 2009-10, was signed to a one-year contract on Monday.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (22-15-11): The BankAtlantic Center is likely to get the renovations it needs as the Broward County commissioners approved a $7.7 million loan to the Panthers on Tuesday. It was a somewhat surprising decision considering the county has forked over tens of millions of dollars for the arena and received little profit since the building opened in 1998. The Panthers have netted $117.4 million during that time, according to the county auditor. Defenseman Tyson Strachan was recalled from San Antonio of the American Hockey League on Monday. The 27-year-old, who made his debut with Florida on Jan. 24 against Philadelphia, has recorded six assists and 82 penalty minutes in 68 career games with St. Louis and the Panthers.
OVERTIME:
1. Washington has won 10 of its last 14 meetings with Florida.
2. The Panthers figure to have the edge as the home team has won four straight and six of seven in the all-time series.
PREDICTION: Panthers 3, Capitals 2.
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