Panthers Set for Road-Trip Opener at Capitals

The Florida Panthers visit the Washington Capitals on Saturday in the teams’ first meeting of the season. Florida enters at 9-5-2 after beating Chicago 5-3, with Sandis Vilmanis scoring twice; the Panthers have won four of their last five and three straight matchups against Washington. The Capitals are 8-6-0 and aim to end a two-game skid after narrow losses to Minnesota and Dallas. Florida’s potent power play and strong recent scoring face a Washington defense that has allowed 48 goals in 14 games. Both teams are missing key players, including Florida’s Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand.