Capitals, Panthers Face Off in Heavyweight Bout

Two of the Eastern Conference's top teams jockey for playoff positioning.

Nov 25, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) moves the puck ahed of Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd (26) during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals were division rivals for almost 20 years, and while those days are long gone now, Saturday may be a throwback of sorts.

Florida, which leads the Atlantic Division, and Washington, which leads the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference as a whole, will square off in D.C. at 5 p.m. ET Saturday. Though both teams will certainly be in the Stanley Cup Playoffs next month, this game is still a huge one for multiple reasons.

That's especially the case for the Panthers, who are in a dogfight atop the Atlantic. They're currently tied for the division lead with the Toronto Maple Leafs and just two points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have a game in hand on both Florida and Toronto. Every game down the stretch will be critical for all three teams.

The Panthers have also been somewhat up-and-down as of late. They beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0 in their previous game on Thursday night, but lost their prior two games in regulation. As they close out a six-game road trip, they'll look to make a statement.

On the other hand, Washington doesn't have quite the same stakes at hand. The Capitals became the first team to clinch a playoff spot on Thursday and hold a 12-point lead in the Metropolitan Division, even with the second-place Carolina Hurricanes riding an eight-game winning streak.

What is at stake is arguably the biggest story in all of hockey right now: Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of the NHL's all-time goal record. The 39-year-old is now just seven goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky for the most in league history, though he has slowed down a bit recently. He has 45 career goals against the Panthers, and will definitely look to add to that total on Saturday.

While the goal chase could've easily overshadowed the Capitals' aspirations as a team this season, it's only added to their storybook campaign.

“I think there are tons of positives to it,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said, per the team's website. “But our guys feed off it on the bench, pulling for him. I think it energizes them to play at a higher level, to be honest with you, to raise their game, and when they’re playing with him, to try to have productive shifts.

“And we’ve talked about it as a group; you just have to be careful forcing pucks to him and overpassing in situations and just play your game. And if you play within our structure, good things will happen for him. So worry about playing inside of our system, and good things will happen for him. But there is no question as a coach I feel like this chase and the energy around it hasn’t been a distraction or a hindrance to our group. It’s been a massive benefit.”

Who knows, if the playoffs go a certain way, then maybe this could be an Eastern Conference Finals preview.

Make sure you bookmark Breakaway On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

• J.T. Miller's Canucks Revenge Game Has Huge Playoff Implications
• Red Wings Postseason Hopes On The Line
• Jets On Verge of Clinching Playoff Spot
• Utah Defenseman Autographs Strange Item
• Penguins Pile On As Blue Jackets Fall From Grace