Washington Capitals (19-5-2 40P) vs Florida Panthers (13-11-4 30P)
- WHEN: 7:30 p.m. ET – LBC GameThread right here at 7ish
- WHERE: BB&T Center – Sunrise, FL
- TICKETS: Single Game & check out the Holiday Package! /
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- ON THE TUBE: FOX Sports Florida, CSN-DC
- ON THE DIAL: 560, 640, 760, 1210 (AM); 97.7, 107.9 (FM); Official App (iOS, Android)
- SOCIALLY SPEAKING: #FlaPanthers, #Caps, #WASvsFLA, @LitterBoxCats, LBC FaceBook page
- ENEMY INTEL: Japers’ Rink
- SB NATION: Game Hub /
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- FLA IN SEASON SERIES: Game 2 of 3 (0-0-1)
- ALL-TIME vs WAS: 45W-51L-9T 6OTL 4SOL 290GF 343GA
- ALL-TIME at FLA: 26W-22L-4T 4OTL 2SOL 156GF 160GA
- LAST FIVE vs WAS: 1-2-2 11GF 14GA/
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- PROJECTED STARTERS: Montoya (3-1-1 .926/2.09 0SO), Grubauer (2-1-1 .900/2.70 0SO)
- JAGR WATCH: All-time vs WAS (reg season): 78GP 30G-60A 90P 6GWG
- PLAYER STATS: Florida / Capitals /
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- NOTES: A return by injured F Nick Bjugstad (upper body) has been declared ‘indefinite’ by head coach Gerard Gallant via the Sun-Sentinel on Wednesday, though a concussion has been ruled out, at least publicly. Whatever the case, “It’s not short-term”. Bjugstad, a first-round selection by FLA in 2010, will miss his 26th career game for a variety of issues since the 2013-14 season began; he has 47G/46A/93P/8GWG in 171 games over that period…Gallant also said D Alex Petrovic (ankle) may begin skating “later in the week”…The Cats will be holding a Toy Drive this evening on the JetBlue Tarmac (details)…Beat writer George Richards says the Panthers will have an entirely new set of uniforms – and logo – next season…Former Panthers blueliner Keith Ballard has hung up the skates for good a year after his most recent concussion (and Mike Russo’s story is a must-read). Love us the KB, and our very best to him down the road. Remember where you were when this went down (I bought tickets at the Very. Last. Minute.)?/
- QUOTED:/
“You know, salary cap, you can only spend so much, so how can you get an advantage? You can get your advantage scouting, coaching, development and giving your players the sports science of it, everything from nutrition to biomechanics. And that’s what you can use for your advantage.”
– Capitals coach Barry Trotz, commenting on his club’s recent embrace of dietary supplements, via WaPo (more)
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NHL.com Preview:
Evgeny Kuznetsov scored at 3:44 of overtime to give the Washington Capitals a 2-1 win against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 31 at BB&T Center. Jussi Jokinen put the Panthers ahead in the second period before Jay Beagle’s goal with 2:23 left in the third period tied the game. Philipp Grubauer had 27 saves for the Capitals. Al Montoya made 27 saves for the Panthers. (More)
Yahoo.com Preview:
Capitals backup Philipp Grubauer stopped 26 shots in that contest (on October 31), but workhorse No. 1 Braden Holtby is expected to make his ninth straight start Thursday. Holtby, 9-0-1 with a 1.87 goals-against average in his last 10 starts and 11-1-1 with a 1.74 mark in the past 13, is 7-0-1 with a 2.48 GAA in eight all-time matchups with Florida. (More)
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Last game for the Cats: 4-2 home loss to Ottawa on Tuesday. Past five: 3-2-0 11GF 11GA (streak: 2L)
Last game for the Caps: 3-2 (SO) victory over Detroit (big thanks for the tease) in D.C. Tuesday. Past five: 4-0-1 15GF 10GA (streak: 1W)
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Thursday in the Atlantic Division (Standings / Panthers Playoff Chances):
- MONTREAL (19-7-3 41P) at DETROIT (15-8-5 35P), 7:30
- OTTAWA (15-8-5 35P) at TAMPA BAY (13-12-3 29P), 7:30
- BUFFALO (11-14-5 25P) at Calgary (11-14-2 24P), 9:00
- Idle: BOS (15-9-3 33P), TOR (10-13-5 25P)/
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Panthers, SoFla Media & Loyal Opposition on the Tweets
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