Panthers at Capitals
THE STORY: The battle for Southeast Division supremacy resumes
Tuesday when the Florida Panthers visit the Washington Capitals. The
teams are a point apart in the standings, a development that has taken
on added significance given the current Eastern Conference landscape.
With the Southeast lagging behind the other two divisions, the
division-leading Panthers rank third in the conference while the
second-place Capitals find themselves in ninth, three points outside the
playoff picture. Washington is coming off a thorough 4-1 beating at the
hands of the defending champion Boston Bruins, a game in which the
Capitals simply couldn't figure out netminder Tim Thomas. "We got a lot
of chances, but Thomas came up big," Washington coach Dale Hunter said.
"A goalie like that can make a difference." The Panthers are also coming
in on a low note after dropping a 6-3 decision to the state-rival Tampa
Bay Lightning. It was only the second time this season the Panthers
have dropped a regulation game after scoring three or more goals.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Florida (Panthers), CS Maryland (Capitals)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (24-16-11): Knee injuries to Jose Theodore and
Jacob Markstrom have left the Panthers woefully thin in goal, leaving
the starting role in the hands of journeyman Scott Clemmensen. The
34-year-old has held his own so far, posting a solid 8-3-5 record with a
2.73 goals against average, a .912 save percentage and one shutout.
Florida is dealing with injury issues at every position, with defenseman
Ed Jovanovski and forwards Dmitry Kulikov and Scottie Upshall among
those on IR.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (27-21-4): Washington is already without
playmaking center Nicklas Backstrom, who continues to deal with
concussion symptoms, and may have lost forward Brooks Laich for a while.
Laich left the loss to the Bruins with a sprained knee. Laich is one of
the Capitals most reliable two-way forwards, with 10 goals and 18
assists in 52 games this season. He has been hot of late, with a goal
and three assists in his last four games.
OVERTIME:
1. Florida has won two of three meetings this season, with the home team prevailing each time.
2.
Panthers forward Kris Versteeg has three goals and three assists during
a four-game points streak. Teammate Mikael Samuelsson also has points
in four straight games (four goals, one assist).