Panthers play the Capitals, seek 5th straight victory

Florida Panthers vs. Washington Capitals

Washington; Friday, 5 p.m. EST

LINE: Capitals -119, Panthers -102; over/under is 6

BOTTOM LINE: Florida is looking to build upon its four-game win streak with a victory against Washington.

The Capitals are 8-2-3 in conference games. Washington has scored 70 goals and is fourth in the NHL averaging 3.5 per game. Alex Ovechkin leads the team with 15.

The Panthers are 11-2-3 in conference games. Florida leads the Eastern Conference with 6.6 assists per game, led by Markus Nutivaara averaging 1.0.

Florida took down Washington 5-4 in the last meeting between these teams on Nov. 4. Aleksander Barkov scored two goals for the Panthers in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 15 goals and has 33 points. John Carlson has two goals and nine assists over the last 10 games for Washington.

Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Panthers with 19 points, scoring six goals and adding 13 assists. Anthony Duclair has three goals and seven assists over the last 10 games for Florida.

LAST 10 GAMES: Capitals: 7-2-1, averaging 3.4 goals, 5.9 assists, 2.3 penalties and 4.8 penalty minutes while giving up 1.9 goals per game with a .932 save percentage.

Panthers: 6-2-2, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.3 assists, 3.3 penalties and 8.3 penalty minutes while allowing 2.8 goals per game with a .913 save percentage.

INJURIES: Capitals: Lars Eller: day to day (health protocols).

Panthers: Markus Nutivaara: out (undisclosed), Mason Marchment: day to day (upper body), Aleksander Barkov: out (lower body).

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