November 6 vs. Florida Panthers at BankAtlantic Center     
Time: 7:00 pm
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: 820AM, 1500AM and XM
Pre-Game: Capitals Report/Pre-Cap at 2 p.m. on washingtoncaps.com

Washington Capitals (8-3-4)
Florida Panthers (5-7-1)

The Caps close out a quick two-game road trip and start a home-and-home weekend set when they take on the Panthers in Florida on Friday night. It’s the first of six meetings this season between the two Southeast Division rivals.

Washington opened the trip on Wednesday in New Jersey with a 3-2 loss to the Devils. The Caps took four minor penalties – three of them in the offensive zone – in the third period of that game and New Jersey’s previously moribund power play (2-for-27 in its previous eight games) came to life with two extra-man tallies.

One bright spot in that game was the play of the fourth line trio of Tyler Sloan, Mathieu Perreault and Chris Clark. The threesome combined for Washington’s first goal of the night, and Perreault added a second assist later on. He became the first Caps player to enjoy a multple-point game in his NHL debut since Alex Ovechkin against Columbus on Oct. 5, 2005.

The loss to the Devils was just the third regulation setback for the Capitals in 15 games this season. Although the Caps have just one more win (eight) than they have “pure” losses (seven), Washington is on pace to record 109 points this season, one more than it notched in establishing a franchise record for points in 2008-09.

The Caps are second in the NHL in goals per game this season, and they’ve actually scored a shade more frequently on the road (3.57 goals per game) than they have at home (3.5 goals per game) this season.

It is at the other end of the ice where Washington has been inconsistent.

Having allowed a dozen goals during its current three-game winless streak (0-1-2), Washington has seen its goals against average creep up to 3.07, 23rd in the NHL.

Although Washington has owned a lead in the second period or later in each of its 15 games this season, it has managed to put just eight of those into the win column. As was the case in New Jersey on Wednesday, poor third-period play has hampered the Caps this season.

The Caps have allowed just six first period goals in 15 games this season. But Washington has surrendered a league-high 22 goals after the start of the third-period this season, surrendering some standings points in the process.

Wednesday’s game in New Jersey was the first this season in which Washington was without superstar left wing Ovechkin, author of 14 goals in as many games at season’s start for the Capitals. Ovechkin sustained an upper body strain in Sunday’s 5-4 overtime loss to Columbus and he is unlikely to play this weekend.

The Caps are 1-4 in the five games Ovechkin has missed during his career. They are 1-for-15 on the power play in the four games he has missed since the start of last season.

Washington has allowed two or more power play goals in six of its 15 games this season. The Caps have managed a 2-2-2 record in those six contests.

After a rugged 2-7-1 start to the season, the Panthers have won three straight games. Each of their last two victories has come via the shutout route. Netminder Tomas Vokoun has manned the net for those two games, whitewashes of the Blues in St. Louis on Saturday and Carolina at home on Wednesday.

Vokoun has faced a barrage of shots most nights this season. Florida allows an average of 36.1 shots on goal per game in 2009-10, the most in the NHL.

Coming into Friday’s game, Vokoun has stopped 74 straight shots in a shutout streak that spans 142:09.

The Florida attack is without David Booth, still sidelined with a concussion after a hit from Philadelphia’s Mike Richards on Oct. 24. The forward trio of Cory Stillman, Steve Reinprecht and Nathan Horton has been Florida’s best, especially of late. That unit has combined for seven goals and eight assists during the Cats’ current three-game winning spree.

Obtained in a June deal with Phoenix, Reinprecht signed a three-year deal with Florida the same day. For a salary cap hit of $2.05 million, Reinprecht is delivering some early bang for Florida’s bucks. He leads the team with nine goals, just five shy of his total with the Coyotes last season. Reinprecht’s personal best during the previous nine years of his NHL career was 19 goals with Colorado in 2001-02.

Florida’s power play is operating at just 12.3% efficiency. The Panthers rank 29th in the league in that department. The Cats have yet to notch multiple power play goals in any of their games this season. Florida is 2-for-22 (9.1%) with the extra man in its last five games.

The Panthers are 26th in the league in penalty killing with a 75.5% kill rate.

Notes: Panthers defenseman Bryan McCabe is slated to appear in his 1,000th career NHL game on Friday.