The 2022 Stanley Cup First Round continues Friday, May 13, with the Eastern Conference showdown from Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., so here’s the best Panthers vs. Capitals betting pick along with the latest odds update on BetDSI Sportsbook. 

Florida leads the series 3-2, and the Panthers are listed as firm -180 moneyline favorites to clinch their spot in the conference semis. The Capitals are +160 home underdogs, while the totals sit at 6.5 goals. 

The Panthers shoot for their third straight W                        

The Florida Panthers earned 122 points this past regular season, finishing with the best record in the NHL. They suffered a huge upset in Game 1 against the Capitals and were on the verge of a 3-1 hole, but the Panthers escaped from Game 4 with a 3-2 overtime victory. 

Last Wednesday, Florida defeated Washington 5-3 as a heavy -230 home fave in Game 5. The Panthers erased a three-goal deficit, and winger Carter Verhaeghe led the charge with a couple of goals and three assists. Verhaeghe is on a tear, tallying five goals and five assists over the previous five games, while center Aleksander Barkov has one goal and four assists in this series. 

Sergei Bobrovsky has guarded the cage in the first five tilts against the Caps, and the 33-year-old netminder should get another starting call Friday. Bobrovsky hasn’t impressed thus far, posting a 2.78 GAA and .902 save percentage. He went 39-7-3 with a 2.67 GAA and .913 save percentage this past regular season. 

The Capitals continue to blow opportunities           

Since a 6-1 thrashing of the Panthers in Game 3, it’s been a bumpy road for the Capitals. They led twice in Game 4 on the home ice but still managed to lose it in overtime, finishing with only 16 shots toward Sergei Bobrovsky. And I’ve already mentioned their three-goal lead in Game 5 on the road. 

The Caps surrendered five unanswered goals last Wednesday. T.J. Oshie scored a couple of goals, while Evgeny Kuznetsov had a pair of dishes, but the Capitals’ defense fell apart. Ilya Samsonov, who’s guarded the cage over the previous three contests, yielded five goals on 38 shots in Game 5. 

The Capitals haven’t announced who’ll get the starting call Friday. Vitek Vanecek has patrolled the crease in Games 1 and 2, posting a 4.21 GAA and .863 save percentage. Vanecek and Samsonov shared the crease in the regular season. While Vanecek went 20-12-6 with a 2.67 GAA and .908 save percentage, Samsonov was 23-12-5 with a 3.02 GAA and .896 SV%. 

Trends:

Florida: 

  • 15-5 in the last 20 games overall 
  • 10-4 in the last 14 games on the road  

Washington:

  • 2-7 in the last nine games overall 
  • 3-8 in the last 11 games against the Eastern Conference    

Florida Panthers vs. Washington Capitals Pick 

After blowing a huge lead in Game 5, the Capitals will have a hard time recuperating. Their offense stepped up following a lousy display in Game 4, but it wasn’t enough. On the other side, the Panthers must be fired up following that 5-3 victory, and I’m expecting them to finish the job in Game 6.

Florida had the best record in the league for a few reasons. They owned the highest-scoring offense, tallying a whopping 4.11 goals per game. Also, their power-play percentage was the fifth-best in the NHL.  

Pick: Take Florida Panthers at -180              

The Total:

Both Florida and Washington were yielding 2.95 goals per game in the regular season, enough for the 12th-best in the league. The over is 10-3 in their last 13 encounters and 5-1 in their previous six meetings at Capital One Arena. 

I would ride these betting trends. It’s hard to trust Sergei Bobrovsky and the Capitals’ goalies, so we should see a high-scoring affair. 

Pick: Go over 6.5 goals at -130