This is your place to check for updates and comment along with the Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers game on February 16, 2023.

To say tonight is a big game would be an understatement. After losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in regulation on Tuesday, the Washington Capitals will face off against the Florida Panthers, who would tie the Capitals for the second wild card spot in the East with a regulation victory.

The Capitals’ playoffs chances are fading and under 50 percent for the first time in Micah McCurdy’s playoff odds model.

Naturally, since the team has been unable to score much lately, the team looked to the farm and its plethora of talented playmakers and called-up physical defenseman and journeyman, Dylan McIlrath, who will make his Caps debut.

Today’s game is back on NBC Sports Washington Plus and puck drop is shortly after 7:00 pm.

Links

• Lines and news from the morning skate
• Lavy says McIlrath will play, earned called up from Hershey
• The Capitals’ playoff chances aren’t lookin great
• Hagelin’s season is over as he undergoes hip resurfacing surgery
• We interviewed Evgeny Kuznetsov for our 10-year anniversary post on the Chelyabinsk meteor
• Mikhail Ovechkin passes away
• Ovi flew to Russia on Wednesday
• Backstrom: “I feel for the whole family”
• Dowd and Wilson are getting closer to returning

Lines

Lineys#CapsCats | @JackDaniels_US pic.twitter.com/kr9O0bQMwz

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 16, 2023

#FlaPanthers in warmups:

Lundell – Barkov – Reinhart
Verhaeghe – Luostarinen – Tkachuk
Lomberg – Staal – Cousins
Denisenko – White – Smith

Forsling – Ekblad
Staal – Montour
Mahura – Gudas

Bobrovsky
Knight

— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) February 16, 2023

1st Period

Milano-Backstrom-Johansson and Gustafsson-TVR get the start. Darcy Kuemper will oppose Sergei Bobrovsky in net.

Florida takes the first penalty. Denisenko goes off for tripping at the 2:14 mark. The Panthers lead the league in penalties with 276.

Caps can’t score. Lars Eller takes an interference penalty shortly after the PP expires.

🚨 1-0 Panthers. Gustav Forsling scores from the slot at the 9:10 mark. Dylan McIlrath gets a minus on his third career shift with the Capitals.

NAK draws a penalty on a semi-breakaway.

Again, the Capitals are unable to convert. Another shotless power play.

The Florida Panthers outshot the Capitals 10-6 and out-attempted them at 5v5, 14-13, in the period. The Panthers have an expected goals edge, 0.82 to 0.58

2nd Period

Oh no. Oh nononnoonoo.

🚨 2-0 Panthers. Marc Staal just scored his first goal of the season with a point shot. The goal came 1:32 into the second period.

Capitals surrender a breakaway.

🚨 3-0 Panthers. Colin White scores on a breakaway after the Capitals can’t finish on two high-danger chances at the other end. It’s not looking good, folks.

Capitals honor Mikhail Ovechkin with moment of silence and tribute video before Panthers game

Matthew Tkachuk pulled up lame while trying to forecheck. Went back to the bench slow.

🚨 3-1 Panthers. Dylan Strome redirects a TJ Oshie point shot with Anthony Mantha screening in front. The goal came at the 15:51 mark.

🚨 4-1 Panthers. Aleksander Barkov scores on a two-on-one going five hole on Kuemper. McIlrath gets another minus.

3rd Period

Panthers take a bench minor for too many men. Caps get a power play early in the third.

Dmitry Orlov unable to convert on a breakaway.

🚨 4-2 Panthers. Nicklas Backstrom scores a power-play goal to give the Caps… some… life. The goal came at the 13:04 mark.

🚨 4-3 Panthers. Evgeny Kuznetsov banks one in with the goaltender pulled.

🚨 5-3 Panthers. TVR turns it over in the Capitals zone with Kuemper out of the net. Panthers score the empty-netter.

🚨 6-3 Panthers. Erik Gustafsson with a bad turnover. Another empty-netter. Gustafsson shatters his stick over the crossbar.

The Capitals are going to have a difficult time making the playoffs after losing this one.

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