Panthers Visit Caps in Penultimate Meeting

The Florida Panthers (23-21-9) visit the Caps at Verizon Center tonight (7 p.m., CSN-HD) in the first of two consecutive Southeast Division games. While the Caps are 9-1 in their last 10 (and winners of eight straight), the Panthers are 6-2-2 in their last 10 and have won two straight -- and are 7-3-2 in January (their most wins in any month so far). Ditto the Caps and their 11-2 record in 2010's first month.

The Caps lead the all-time series, 42-32-9-6, and captured the first four meetings of the season: 4-1 at Florida (Nov. 6), 7-4 at home (Nov. 7), 6-2 at home (Dec. 3), 5-4 SO at Florida (Jan. 13), its first four-game winning streak vs. Florida since Nov. 7, 2002-April 1, 2003. The Caps are seeking their first five-game winning streak vs. Florida since a six-gamer from Jan. 19, 2000-Jan. 24, 2001. The season's final meeting will take place March 16 in Sunrise.

Alex Semin is on one of his hot streaks, boasting back-to-back two-goal games and points in seven straight (six goals, eight assists), tied for the longest active streak in the NHL. Semin has 11 goals and 10 assists in his last 12 games, all in January, putting him second in the month in goals and third in points. It's the best point-scoring month of his career and one shy of his best goal-scoring month (12 in January 2007).

Mike Knuble also is hot, scoring in five of the last seven games and netting nine goals in the last 11 games. His nine goals this month are tied for sixth in the NHL and mark the best goal-scoring month he has had since March 2003 (11). With 16 goals -- despite missing 12 games with a broken finger -- Knuble is tied for the league goal-scoring lead among players 35 and older.

The Caps are 19-3-3 at home and winners of seven in a row at Verizon Center, selling out all 25 home games this year and a club-record 32 in a row dating back to last season. A win Friday night would match the third-longest home winning streak in franchise history. The Caps have the fewest regulation losses at home in the NHL.

The red, white and blue is averaging four goals per game at home; that's up more than a half a goal per home game from last season and 0.95 goals per home game from 2007-08.