FHN Today: Florida Panthers back at it tonight in Washington

The Florida Panthers have a big game tonight — perhaps the game of their season — when they play Game 4 against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena.

Florida has not looked very good in this series save for 2-plus periods in Game 2.

They can get things turned in their favor with a big game tonight.

Will Florida change some things up? Coach Andrew Brunette said yesterday that everything “is on the table” but we will know more when they hit the ice for morning skate at 11:30.

Check back for more.

Until then, here’s some reading for you:

PANTHERLAND

The Florida Panthers have talked about nerves and not being ready to play … but all that nonsense needs to be out of their system tonight when they play Game 4 in Washington.

It’s not technically a ‘must-win’ game for the Panthers — but it’s a must-win game for the Panthers.

Win and you come home tied 2-2. Lose and, yeah.

— Video from Sunday’s post-practice media session from Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart and Andrew Brunette is on the FloridaHockeyNow YouTube page.

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CAP CENTER

Alex Ovechkin only has one goal in the first three games of this series, but the Washington Capitals star has definitely affected how the game has been played.

T.J. Oshie credits that to Ovechkin’s ‘GOAT-ness.’

— Connor McMichael made his playoff debut on Saturday and dug the vibe.

— Will Tom Wilson play tonight? We should find out soon enough.

— For all of your Capitals coverage, head on over to WashingtonHockeyNow.Com … Sammi Silber has you covered.

AROUND THE NHL

The big news broke early on Monday as the New York Islanders are moving on from coach Barry Trotz after missing the playoffs.

Don’t think that was Trotz’s fault — and he may not be out of work for long.

The former Preds, Caps and Isles coach is well respected and regarded throughout the league. He’ll get snapped up quickly.

— You may not be a fan of Brad Marchand but there are many out there who don’t like Tony DeAngelo a whole lot — so yesterday was fun for a lot of people.

How the Boston Bruins star is getting into DeAngelo’s head during this series — which is now tied at 2 after a trip to Beantown.

— Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy missed Game 4 after entering Covid protocol just before warmups on Sunday.

— The Tampa Bay Lightning got back in its series with a thumping of the Leafs. It’s 2-2 going back to Toronto.

— The Kings got a terrific performance from Jonathan Quick as they shutout the Oilers in Game 4.

— The Calgary Flames have found themselves in a dogfight with Dallas in the first round series.

— With the Colorado Avalanche up 3-0 in Nashville, perhaps it is smart to rest injured goalie Darcy Kuemper.

— Jordan Binnington sparks a St. Louis comeback against the Wild.

— Trade talk with Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek…

— The Philadelphia Flyers may have two pretty good young goalies now.

NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

ROUND 1

PANTHERS V. CAPITALS (WSH leads 2-1)

• Game 4: Monday, 7 p.m.
• Where: Capital One Arena, Washington D.C.  
• TV/Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, TBS
• Radio: WQAM 560 (Miami/Fort Lauderdale); WMEN 640 (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3 (Florida Keys); SiriusXM 
• Tickets: CLICK HERE

PANTHERS V. CAPITALS

• Regular season series — Florida won 2-1: @Florida 5, Washington 4 OT (Nov. 4);  @Washington 4, Panthers 3 (Nov. 26); @Florida 5, Washington 4 (Nov. 30)
• All-time regular season series: Capitals lead 67-44-11, 9 ties
• Playoff history: First meeting
• First-round schedule — Game 1: Washington 4, @Florida 2; Game 2: @Florida 5, Washington 1; Game 3: @Washington 6, Florida 1; Game 4: Florida at Washington, Monday, 7 (TBS/BSF); Game 5: Washington at Florida, Wednesday, 7:30 (ESPN2/BSF); Game 6*: Florida at Washington, Friday; Game 7: Washington at Florida, May 15. *If necessary