Caps vs. Panthers 1-20-2007 Preview

Washington Capitals (20-27; 47 points; 4th Southeast Division, 13th Eastern Conference, 23rd Overall) vs. Florida Panthers (17-32; 44 points; 5th Southeast Division, 14th Eastern Conference, 26th Overall):
Caps Game #48, Home Game #25, NHL Game #717

Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. 1:05 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WTEM 980-AM. Florida TV: None. Radio: WQAM 560-AM. NHL Center Ice: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic feed.

Today the Caps will get an early jump on the All-Star break by getting up early for an afternoon matinee with Florida Panthers. The Caps of course laid an egg one week ago in Sunrise, Florida when these two teams last met. Since then the Caps were able to snap their losing streak on Thursday night in Carolina after dropping a game in Ottawa. The Panthers on the other hand have lost two in a row, both by a score of 3-2. The most recent loss was at home against Toronto on Thursday night.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post. Times. Caps.com. No game notes yet.

Open Source Intelligence:

Miami Herald.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

What Do I Expect Today?:

Any boost the Caps picked up from Thursday night's big win will be played out today. Since that awful performance in Florida one week ago, the Caps have been playing better and have admittedly been streaky all year. The last time the Caps played a matinee they didn't fare so well against the Coyotes, though that was on New Year's Day. The Panthers on the other hand have lost six of their last eight with the two wins coming over the Caps and the Penguin Scum. Florida looks to be throwing Ed Belfour back in net again today which surprises me because I thought he died five years ago.

Caps Nut Official Washington Hockey.com Predict The Score Contest Entry:

Caps 4
Panthers 2
Winner by Semin