Amongst the biggest early surprises of these 2022 NHL Playoffs came from the Capitals vs Panthers series where the Presidents Trophy winners gave up three goals in the third period and lost on home ice without Ovechkin having to score. The loss certainly came as a shock to fans and analysts everywhere, as most people had this pegged as a five-game series. For that to come true, Florida will now have to rattle off four wins in a row, including two games at Capital One Arena, a building that always provides an intimidating environment. The Stanley Cup favorites need a convincing win tonight in order to avoid the panic button.
Let’s take a look at the NHL Playoffs betting odds, trends and picks for the game and give our Capitals vs Panthers prediction.
Capitals vs Panthers NHL Betting Preview and Stream
NHL Playoffs Game 2 (WSH Leads 1-0)
Washington Capitals (44-26-12, 25-10-6 Away) vs. Florida Panthers (58-18-6, 34-7-0 Home)
Date: May 5, 2022
Time: 7:30 PM EST
Venue: FLA Live Arena – Sunrise, FL
Coverage: TBS
Goaltending: WSH: Vitek Vanecek (1-0/2.00/.938 – Expected) | FLA: Sergei Bobrovsky (0-1/3.06/.919 – Expected)
Neither goalie was to blame in Game 1 of this Capitals vs Panthers NHL Playoffs series. Both played well and put up very good numbers. The Washington Capitals managed to outshoot the Florida Panthers, which was a bit of a surprise and not likely to be repeated in Game 2. Bobrovsky has been shaky at times since joining the Panthers, but he is one of the most veteran and experienced goaltenders in the league. He will need to be at his very best until the Panthers can find their rhythm offensively and start to look like the team we saw all season long.
The Capitals will just need to weather the storm and take advantage of their powerplay opportunities. Washington had one of the most ineffective PP units in the NHL this season, but they found the back of the net on their first man advantage, which ended up being the deciding factor in Game 1.
An in-depth Capitals vs Panthers NHL Playoffs series preview is available HERE.
Capitals vs Panthers NHL Betting Odds & Spread
NHL Betting odds for Capitals vs Panthers are taken from BetUS Sportsbook.
Moneyline: WSH: (+220) | FLA: (-260)
Puck Line: WSH: +1.5 (-120) | FLA: -1.5 (EVEN)
Total: 6.5 — Over: (-130) | Under: (+110)
Team Totals: WSH o2.5 (-135) / u2.5 (-105) | FLA o4.5 (+115) / u4.5 (-155)
Public (Spread) Betting via Action Network: WSH: (26%) | FLA: (74%)
Odds to Win Stanley Cup: WSH: (+3300) | FLA: (+550)
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Capitals vs Panthers Prediction
As you can tell by their insanely high team total, the oddsmakers are expecting Florida to bounce back in a big way and tie the Capitals vs Panthers NHL Playoffs series at one game apiece. While we agree with them, we cannot recommend taking a bet that requires five goals to cash. Instead, we will be taking the Panthers puck line at even money.
We see the Panthers being even better defensively and the Capitals struggling to score. Maybe an empty-net goal in the favor of Florida cashes the bet as poetic justice for how Game 1 ended. Regardless of how it happens, the Panthers will win by multiple goals tonight.
Our NHL Playoffs Capitals vs Panthers prediction tonight will be Panthers Puck Line at BetUS.
For what it’s worth, numberFire gives the Panthers a 62.5% chance to win.
Capitals vs Panthers Prediction and Picks
Florida Panthers – Puck Line -1.5 (EVEN)
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