This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Bets for February 16: Panthers vs. Capitals
The Florida Panthers (27-24-6) travel to meet the Washington Capitals (28-22-6) at Capital One Arena on Thursday night in The District.
I was just at Capital One Arena on Sunday for the game against the San Jose Sharks, and I was glad to hit the Under 6.5 goals on that 4-1 win by the visitors. More importantly, if you've never been, Capital One Arena has a Caesars Sportsbook right inside the arena which you can bet on the game. They have plenty of televisions, a bar, etc. It's outstanding.
In addition, Capital One Arena has a self-pour draft beer station on the 300 level, and if you prefer cans, Capit-Ale IPA by Devil's Backbone Brewing is pretty outstanding. The food is pretty solid, too, although I ended up settling for just two regular hot dogs. I had a half-smoke at Ben's Chili Bowl to atone on Monday. I also found out over the weekend that I am a huge fan of mambo sauce. If you know, you know.
As far as this game is concerned, the food and the beer and the gambling might be the best part for the Caps fans on Thursday night. Alex Ovechkin will miss a second straight game, as he is over in Russia due to the unfortunate death of his father. Condolences to Ovi and his family.
In addition, Tom Wilson remains on the shelf, while Nic Dowd is also unavailable, as is John Carlson. Joe Snively was recalled from Hershey of the AHL to play Tuesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes. He became the first Virginia-born player to play for the organization last season, and he now has four goals and four assists in 18 career NHL games, all for Washington.
While the Snively story was nice, the Caps are a mess right now. The top line was Conor Sheary, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Anthony Mantha, with Sonny Milano, Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson rounding out the top-six players.
Enough about the Caps, right Panthers fans and potential backers? This is the third of a four-game road trip for the Panthers, winning 2-1 in a shootout at Minnesota, while falling 6-2 at St. Louis last time out on Tuesday. Florida is still 4-2 across the past 6 games overall.
The Panthers are still 5-2 in the past seven games when playing on a day of rest, and Florida won 5-2 in the first meeting this season, while going 4-0 in the past four outings against Washington. Back the slight road favorite here.
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NHL Money Line Bets for Panthers vs. Capitals
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- Capitals ML (-120 at Caesars)
The Panthers have alternated the Over and Under in each of the past five games, with a lean to the Over across the long term. Florida is on a 10-2 run across the past 12 outings overall.
Florida has gone high in five of the past six games on the road, too, while going 3-1-1 in the previous five outings against Metropolitan Division clubs. The Over has cashed in six in a row against Eastern Conference foes, too, while cashing at a 20-5-2 clip in the past 27 outings in the fourth game of a 4-in-6 (four games in six days) situation.
For the Capitals, the Under is on a roll lately, and it's especially tempting since the home side is rather beleaguered. The Under is 5-1-1 in the past seven games overall, while going 6-0-1 in the past seven games at home.
However, the Over is 7-2-2 in the past 11 games for Washington against the Atlantic Division, while cashing at a 6-1 clip in the previous seven meetings in D.C., while going 12-3 in the past 15 in the series overall.
The trends are conflicting, but based on H2H and Florida trends, the slight lean is to the Over, although the Under is strong for Washington. Go lightly, with a half-unit at best.
NHL Totals Bets for Panthers vs. Capitals
- Over 6.5 (-110 at FanDuel)
NHL Player Props for Panthers vs. Capitals
Looking to the player props, we'll take a look at a pair of options for the road team, as the Caps are just too banged up with a lot of holes right now.
Panthers All-Star Matthew Tkachuk has been on fire since around the holidays, and even the ASG break wasn't enough to cool him off. He has two goals and nine points with a plus-4 rating in five games since the break.
And in the first meeting against the Caps in Sunrise back on Nov. 15, a 5-2 win by the Panthers, Tkachuk was good for three assists with a plus-4 rating, including an apple on the power play. The over/under for points for Tkachuk is 1.5, so look to the Over for power-play points instead.
In addition, Tkachuk has squeezed off four or more shots in seven of the past eight games, so playing Over 3.5 SOG is a slam-dunk prop play.
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- Matthew Tkachuk Over 0.5 Power Play Points (-134 at FanDuel)
- Matthew Tkachuk Over 3.5 Shots (-130 at FanDuel)
Sheary is getting a shot to play on the top scoring line with Ovechkin, Wilson, etc. on the sidelines. He has been blanked in the past four games, but it's not for a lack of trying. He is due, and at plus-money, he is worth a roll of the dice.
- Conor Sheary Over 0.5 Points (+132 at FanDuel)
