NHL Panthers vs Capitals Picks and Odds | March 22 2025

Written by: Nick Zanghi

Published: Sat Mar 22, 2025, 11:09 am ET

Read Time: 5 minutes

Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals players

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Florida Panthers

Washington Capitals

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The 2 top teams in the East face off this evening and we have you covered for Panthers vs Capitals picks. At the Capital One Arena, the Florida Panthers will take on the Washington Capitals. These 2 teams last met in February and the Caps got the win, 6-3.

Washington is probably the league's biggest surprise this season. As they are the 2nd team to 100 points and the 1st team to clinch a playoff spot. They are 46-15-8 this season and 1st in the Metro. They're currently on a 3-game winning streak and are 23-7-6 at home. No one saw this coming.

Their offense has been firing this season, leading the league in goals scored and shooting percentage. They rank 22nd in shots on goal per game, but when you shoot as good as them, it almost doesn't matter. Alex Ovechkin is on his quest for the most goals in NHL History and is currently 7 goals away. It's looking pretty good for him to get it done this season.

The team's defense is top notch as well. They rank 2nd best in the league for goals allowed and are 10th best in shots on goal allowed per game. Washington could be better on the power play, ranking 16th in the league, but have a great penalty kill that ranks 5th. They do commit over 4 penalties per game, so they need to defend well.

Goaltender Logan Thompson is expected in net. He is 30-4-5 this season with a 2.29 GAA and a .917 save percentage. Thompson is arguably the 2nd best goalie in this league this year behind Connor Hellebuyck.

Florida trying to battle through injuries will try to end Washington's win streak

Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov gets the puck passed Captials' goalie Logan Thompson.

Florida is 42-24-3 this year and 1st in the Atlantic Division. They come into this game off a win over the Blue Jackets Thursday night and are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games. This team plays well on the road with a 20-14-1 record.

This team has massive fire power on offense and just added Brad Marchand to the mix. They were able to land him due to Matthew Tkachuk being on the LTIR and his contract coming off the books. This will put the Panthers in a hell of a spot to go back-to-back this season.

On offense, they're 10th in goals scored and 3rd in shots on goal allowed per game. Even though they're 3rd in shots on goal, they rank 21st in shooting percentage so they tend to let the puck fly. Special teams are just important in hockey and their power play ranking 9th best in the league isn't too shabby.

Like the Capitals, the Panthers can hold it down on defense. They rank 8th best in goals allowed and 5th best in shots on goal allowed per game this season. Just like offense, their defensive special teams is good, ranking 10th best in penalty kill.

In net, we are expected to see Sergei Bobrovsky. Bob is 29-15-2 this season with a 2.45 GAA and a .908 save percentage. He did start in their last match and was pulled after allowing 4 goals. Let's check out the odds and get into the picks.

Florida Panthers vs Washington Capitals Betting Odds and Game Information

Panthers vs Capitals Betting Odds

Puck Line

Florida Panthers -1.5 (+210)
Washington Capitals +1.5 (-265)

Moneyline

Florida Panthers -118
Washington Capitals -102

Totals

Over 5.5 (-118)
Under 5.5 (-104)

Odds courtesy of BetOnline – Get 50% up to $1000 on your first deposit

Panthers vs Capitals Game Information

Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
Date: Saturday March 22, 2025
Puck Drop: 5pm EST
TV: MNMT, SCRIPPS

Florida Panthers vs Washington Capitals Prediction and Picks

Washington Capitals players celebrate after scoring a goal.

Panthers vs Capitals Picks and Predictions: Washington Capitals Moneyline (-102) Get 50% up to $1000 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick

I'm a little confused by this line. Washington is one of the best teams in the league and they're underdogs? Well, whether it's a trap or not – I'm buying in. Give me the Caps at home for -102 value with the way they're playing this season.

Washington already showed they can hang with Florida, which is another reason why I don't get them being underdogs. Last game was a barn burner with all those goals and I kind of a goal fest like last game with the same goalies as well.

Since he continues his quest, I like Ovi to score a goal at +140 value. This entire team wants him to break this record, even if that means they throw him out there to get an empty netter (which they did last game). His 3+ shots is extremely juiced, but his 4 for +108 isn't a bad look as he had 3 last game.

On the Panthers side of things, I like Sam Bennett to record 3 or more shots on goal for -144 value. Just at the point of being too juiced, but he had 7 shots on goal last game and has 13 shots on goal total in 2 of his last 3 games in Washington.