The Florida Panthers will kick off a challenging back-to-back set on Monday night in Sunrise. After dropping a tightly contested matchup to their rivals to the north on Saturday – a 4-2 road win for Tampa Bay – Florida will look to get back on the winning track when they host the Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens at Amerant Bank Arena in a 24-hour span. The Capitals arrive in South Florida feeling good, coming out of the break with a 4-3 overtime win in New Jersey. Prior to the victory, the Caps had lost six of their past seven, a stretch that took them from first place with a three-point lead in the Metropolitan Division on Dec. 7 to the first Wild Card spot and one point north of the playoff line on Dec. 23. Most fans would probably be surprised to learn that the player leading the Capitals in both goals and points this season is not Alex Ovechkin, but actually gritty forward Tom Wilson. Entering play Monday, Wilson has racked up 17 goals and 34 points through 37 games, putting him on pace to potentially break the career marks he set last season (33 goals and 65 points in 81 games). Ovechkin, for what it’s worth, is only two goals (15) and one point (33) behind Wilson for the team lead in both categories. As for Florida, they received a jolt of positive news on Sunday when All-Star forward Matthew Tkachuk joined the team for his first practice of the season. Tkachuk has been recovering from offseason surgery for a torn adductor and sports hernia, and while he probably won’t be playing in either of the back-to-back games, just his presence at a formal practice means that he’s getting very close to making his season debut. This will be the second of three regular season meetings between the Cats and Caps. Florida defeated the Capitals 6-3 back on Nov. 13, a game that Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen logged three points apiece and Daniil Tarasov made 37 saves to pick up his first win as a Panther. It’s possible Tarasov gets the nod again for the Cats, as Florida Head Coach Paul Maurice will likely start each of his goaltenders for the back-to-back set. Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Monday’s matchup with the Capitals: Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – A.J. Greer Jesper Boqvist – Luke Kunin – Jack Studnicks Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Matthew Tkachuk takes part in first Florida Panthers practice of season [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/matthew-tkachuk-takes-part-in-first-florida-panthers-practice-of-season#google_vignette] Power play comes up short for Panthers in 4-2 loss to Tampa Bay [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/power-play-comes-up-short-for-panthers-in-4-2-loss-to-tampa-bay#google_vignette] Panthers set to host rival Lightning looking to continue strong month of December [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-set-to-host-rival-lightning-looking-to-continue-strong-month-of-december#google_vignette] Panthers aim to continue strong December after holiday break [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-aim-to-continue-strong-december-after-holiday-break] Three Things The Florida Panthers Want For Christmas [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/three-things-the-florida-panthers-want-for-christmas] Photo caption: Nov 13, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling (42) moves the puck against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
