Capitals at Panthers
The Washington Capitals will look to create some distance in the Southeast Division on Saturday when they visit the cellar-dwelling Florida Panthers. The Capitals, who are 6-1-1 in their last eight games, claimed the top spot in the division after their 2-1 shootout victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday was followed by Winnipeg's 4-1 loss to Montreal. Washington holds the tiebreaker over the Jets by having two games in hand.
Florida, which has fallen on hard times after winning last season's division crown, posted its season-best third straight victory with a 3-2 shootout decision over fellow Sunshine State representative Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Jacob Markstrom turned aside 39 shots - and denied all three attempts in the bonus format. The netminder had a much tougher time on March 7, when he permitted two goals on as many shots before getting the quick hook in a 7-1 victory by Washington.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN (Washington), FSN (Florida)
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (18-17-2): Captain Alex Ovechkin saw his point streak end at nine games on Thursday, but his tally in the second round of the shootout stood up as the winner. Ovechkin has torched the Panthers, recording 57 points (27 goals, 30 assists) in 46 career contests. The Russian standout scored in Washington's 5-0 victory on Feb. 9, added a goal and an assist in the Capitals' 6-5 triumph three nights later and collected a goal and two assists in the last meeting.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (12-19-6): Nick Bjugstad will make his NHL debut against Washington - and he can hardly wait. "It's pretty wild," Bjugstad said after Friday's practice. "A couple of years ago, I never would have expected to be here. On draft day, I didn't know how long it was going to take or what it was going to take. I'm very fortunate to be here." The 20-year-old center elected to leave the University of Minnesota with a year of eligibility remaining to set his sights on professional hockey.
OVERTIME
1. Washington has won six straight contests against Florida.
2. Panthers rookie LW Jonathan Huberdeau has scored twice in three games versus the Capitals.
3. After yielding four power-play goals in its previous three contests, Washington killed off both short-handed situations versus the Islanders.