On Tuesday night, the Florida Panthers, the reigning champions, will play the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena.
With a stellar season, Washington (34-11-7, in the Metropolitan Division) is now second in the NHL with 75 points, behind NHL leader Winnipeg (77).
You can watch the game on ESPN+ (plans start at $11.99/month) at 7 p.m.
The Capitals recently suffered a 5-4 overtime defeat to the visiting Jets, in which Alex Ovechkin scored his 877th goal in his career and made nine huge saves overall.
In the defeat, Logan Thompson made 25 stops, including some incredible ones. In a successful effort, Connor Hellebuyck saved 25 shots.
Capitals winger Tom Wilson, who scored his 21st goal of the season, stated that both teams undoubtedly have a goalkeeper or goalies who you expect to win every time they play. They give you a chance to win. They were all over us, and the hockey tonight was of a very high standard.
The hockey was good. It must have been entertaining to watch the boys work so hard to finish the game. Just (came up) a little short, and I believe it’s good to show ourselves that we belong and can compete with the league’s best players.
Despite the defeat, Washington is 16-4-5 at home and 7-1-2 in its previous ten games.
Ovechkin has five goals and three assists in the last ten games, while Pierre-Luc Dubois has 12 goals and 30 assists for the Capitals.
With a 7-3 record in their past ten games, the Florida Panthers (32-19-3, in the Atlantic Division) have 67 points and have been playing good hockey.
On the road, the Panthers are 16-10-1.
In their most recent game on Sunday, they defeated the New York Islanders 6-3, ending their winning run at seven games. Sam Reinhart scored his 31st goal and Carter Verhaeghe recorded his fourth career hat trick.
For a four-point evening, Verhaeghe contributed an assist on Matthew Tkachuk’s empty-netter. Reinhart had an assist as well.
Florida also had a goal from Evan Rodrigues, and Spencer Knight recorded 31 saves. Gustav Forsling contributed two assists, while Aleksander Barkov contributed three.
Rodrigues has scored five goals in the last ten games, while Reinhart has 31 goals and 28 assists for the Panthers.
The game This season’s second meeting between these teams is scheduled for Tuesday. In the last meeting, the Capitals prevailed 4-1. With two goals, Lars Eller led the Capitals.
On Monday, they also went to the White House to celebrate their 2023–24 title with President Donald Trump.
The 2024 NHL Stanley Cup winner Florida Panthers hockey team presented President Donald Trump with a gold hockey stick during a ceremony held in the White House’s East Room on Monday, February 3, 2025, in Washington. (Photo by Evan Vucci/AP)
President Donald Trump toasted the NHL’s defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers at the White House on Monday, largely focusing on sports and avoiding any discussion of tariffs.
With the Stanley Cup on the Oval Office’s Resolute Desk, Trump posed for photos with the team, spoke with players and Panthers owner Vinnie Viola, whom he views as a close friend, and received a golden hockey stick and a few jerseys.
It was reported by the Associated Press said he compared his journey back to the White House to the Panthers’ journey from losing in the 2023 final to Vegas to capturing the first title in the team’s existence.
According to Trump, you delivered the fans one of the most captivating comebacks in NHL history—or in any sport for that matter. They tell me it’s extremely wonderful, but I don’t know anything about a return.
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