Washington Capitals at Florida Panthers NHL Picks & Predictions 2/22/2018

Thursday, February 22, 2018

BB&T Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Washington Capitals travel to BB&T Center to play the Florida Panthers on Thursday, February 22, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Capitals at -133 and the Panthers at -105.

Washington has a record of 34-19-7 this season and on the road they have a record of 14-10-5-1. They are 1st in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 187 goals and given up 180 goals for a point differential of +7. For the season they have an ATS record of 34-26-0 and an over/under record of 35-24-0. Florida has a record of 26-25-6 including 13-9-3-2 at home this season. They are 4th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 166 goals and surrendered 186 for a goal differential of -20. Their record against the spread is 26-31-0 while their over/under record is 31-26-0.

Valuable Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 34-26-0 straight up this year

The Washington Capitals are 35-24-0 against the over/under this season

Important Florida Panthers Betting Trends

The Florida Panthers are 26-31-0 straight up this year

The Florida Panthers are 31-26-0 against the over/under this season

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

02/20/18 D Michal Kempny Acquired is probable Thursday vs Florida

Key Florida Panthers Injuries

No key injuries to report

Player Spotlight

Braden Holtby has 28 wins and 12 losses this season in net for the Capitals. He has 1,381 shots against him and he's given up 125 goals. He's made 1,256 saves for a save percentage of 91%. Alex Ovechkin has accumulated 67 total points this season for the Capitals. He has 36 goals this year with 251 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 14%. He has a total of 31 assists on the season and averages 19.9 minutes played per game. Nicklas Backstrom averages 19.7 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 14% by scoring 15 goals on 109 shots. He has 30 assists, giving him a total of 45 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Vincent Trocheck has scored 53 total points this year for the Panthers. He has 22 goals this season with 206 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 31 assists on the season and averages 21.5 minutes played per game. Roberto Luongo has 7 wins and 7 losses this year in goal for the Panthers. He has 576 shots against him and he's surrendered 41 goals. He's made 535 saves for a save percentage of 93%. Jonathan Huberdeau averages 19.6 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 13% by scoring 18 goals on 142 shots. He has 35 assists, giving him a total of 53 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Capitals have allowed 199 power play opportunities and have given up 40 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80% this year. That is 17th in the NHL. They average 29 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.92% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%, which is ranked 18th in the league. The Capitals has 75 total points this season, ranking 7th in the NHL in offense. They are 8th in the league with 187 goals while they've given up 180 goals, which is 13th overall. They have had 180 power play opportunities and scored 38 goals on those chances for a percentage of 21%. That is 11th in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Panthers are 22nd with 166 goals scored while they are 9th in the NHL with 186 goals allowed this year. They average 35 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.41%. They give up 35 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%, putting them in 19th place in the league. The Panthers have a total of 58 points this year, which is 24th in the NHL. They have 35 power play goals on 178 opportunities for a percentage of 20%. That ranks their power play unit 19th. They've allowed 175 power play opportunities and have given up 36 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 79%, which is 21st overall.

Advanced Statistics

Washington has a Corsi percentage of 47.6% as they've tried 3,313 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 3,652 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. That ranks them 27th in Corsi percentage. They are 30th in the NHL in Fenwick percentage with 46.6% as they have 2,441 shots while they've given up 2,792 attempts on defense. The Capitals start possessions in the offensive zone 49.4% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 50.6% for the year. That puts them 24th and 11th in the league in zone percentages respectively. They have 1,786 face-off wins as opposed to 1,770 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.2%. That is 19th overall in the NHL. On defense Washington has 1,334 hits and they've blocked 860 attempts from opposing offenses, which is 19th in the league.

Advanced Statistics

The Panthers start possessions in the offensive zone 48.3% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 51.7% for the year. That ranks them 27th and 5th respectively in the NHL. They have 1,857 face-off wins as opposed to 1,794 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.9%. That is 11th in the league. On defense Florida has 1,127 hits and they've blocked 788 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 29th in blocked shots. Florida is ranked 15th in Corsi percentage with 50% as they've tried 3,443 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 3,445 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage is 16th in the NHL at 50.2%, as they have 2,682 shots while they've given up 2,657 attempts on defense.

Who will win tonight's Capitals/Panthers NHL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Florida -105

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