Panthers Can Captials

     It was a rematch of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs first round as the Florida Panthers disposed the Washington Capitals 5-2 at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday night. The Panthers won their first postseason series in 26 years when they defeated the Capitals during the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in six games. 

     Panthers head coach Paul Maurice coached in his 1,700th NHL game. That amount is fourth all-time in National Hockey League history. 

     Florida(9-6-1) walked out to a 1-0 lead at the 5:45 mark of the first period. The Caps tried to clear the puck out of their defensive zone. Aleksander Barkov got to it and snapped a shot from the high slot past Darcy Kuemper for an unassisted tally and his fourth goal of the season. 

     In the second period, the Panthers made it 2-0 with the man advantage at 3:46. Aaron Ekblad took a shot from the right circle that popped up into the air off a Capitals defender. Sam Reinhart waited and then batted in the puck with a backhand from the low slot for his third goal of the campaign. Ekblad picked up his first assist of this year while Matthew Tkachuk was credited with the secondary assist. It turned out to be the 400th NHL point for Tkachuk. 

     Washington(7-9-2) closed it to 2-1 on the power play with 4:56 left in the second. John Carlson sent a long lead pass from his own zone to Joe Snively at the Panthers blue line. He skated in and dropped a pass. Dylan Strome put in a wrist shot from above the left circle by Sergei Bobrovsky for his fifth goal this season. It was the first point of the year for Snively. 

     In the third period, the Cats increased their lead to 3-1 at the 7:02 mark. Tkachuk connected a cross-ice pass from the right wing and Gustav Forsling released a shot from the left point. Nick Cousins collected it at the right of the crease, moved to the middle and pushed in a wrist shot from close range for his second goal in a Panthers uniform. 

     The Capitals cut it 3-2 during a delayed penalty with 8:45 remaining. Erik Gustafsson angled a slap shot from the left point and Carlson redirected it in from the top of the crease for his third this year.

     It became a three-goal margin for Florida with 3:00 left in the third. Brandon Montour centered the puck from the right corner and Carter Verhaeghe backhanded the puck in from the edge of the blue paint. Verhaeghe added an empty-net tally from the blue line with 1:24 to go for his 10th goal of the season.