With season on the line, Panthers played epic third period in DC

Can dominant effort against Capitals springboard Florida to Wild Card spot?

An exceptional third period led the Florida Panthers to their sixth win in a row Saturday night against the Washington Capitals.

In a game that saw Florida struggle to control the flow and limit opportunities by the opposition, they came out for the final twenty minutes like gangbusters.

Regardless of the opponent, playing a period like that is something special.

The victory kept the Panthers in the top Wild Card spot with just two games left in the regular season.

“It was a grind,” Florida winger Matthew Tkachuk said afterwards. “This was a pretty tough one tonight, one of the toughest ones we’ve had recently.”

Despite the Capitals missing their best and most dangerous player, Alexander Ovechkin, the game was tightly contested through two periods.

Washington got the better of the Panthers during the second frame in terms of generating opportunities, finishing the period with ten high danger chances while only allowing Florida four, per Natural Stat Trick.

The Cats woke up between the second and third, putting forth a dominant effort that kept them atop the Wild Card race.

“It was a big moment in our year,” said Panthers winger Sam Reinhart.

Florida outshot the Capitals 18-3 during the final twenty minutes. 

They had all ten of the period’s high danger chances while in complete control of the game, according to measured puck possession metrics (83.7% Corsi, 82.7% Fenwick).

“I think (we played with) a little more urgency, pressuring forward as opposed to sitting back and letting them play with the puck,” Reinhart said of the third period. “We had an aggressive mindset coming out.”

The team is now hoping that what proved to be one of the most one-sided periods Florida had played in recent memory will provide some momentum as they head into their final two games.

Entering play Monday, the Panthers sit in the first Wild Card spot.

They are tied with the New York Islanders at 91 points, with Florida holding the edge in the first tiebreaker, which is regulation wins (36 to 35).

Sitting one point back of the Panthers and Islanders and outside of a playoff spot are the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh has only 31 regulation wins so the tiebreak doesn’t come into play.

While Florida has reeled off six straight wins, earning the right to control their own playoff fate, both the Pens and Isles have emerged victorious in their past two games as well.

After a couple weeks of each team struggling to take hold of the race, it appears everyone is locked in for the home stretch.

“We have to keep it going, the teams around us are winning and fortunately for us, we control our destiny,” Tkachuk said. “We just have to keep winning.”

Looking ahead to the final week of the season, Florida appears to have the most difficult path to qualifying for the postseason.

That’s because while, yes, they are in the proverbial driver’s seat, the Panthers’ remaining schedule is by far the most difficult among the three teams vying for the two Wild Card spots.

Florida hosts the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes, two of the top teams in not only the Eastern Conference but in the entire NHL.

The Islanders are at Washington Monday before finishing up at home against the Montreal Canadiens.

Pittsburgh hosts the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday and is in Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets Thursday, the two teams currently tied for the worst record in the league.

While it’s never safe to assume anything in this league, one thing that is clear is Florida’s remaining opponents are, at least on paper, far better than those who the Penguins and Islanders will face.

“I guess for me, you look at the schedules and it's just an expectation they're winning out,” Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said of the Isles and Pens.

It helps the Panthers cause that Toronto is already locked into second place in the Atlantic Division, guaranteeing them home ice in a first-round matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

With nothing left to play for except potential home ice in the Conference Finals and beyond, it’s possibly Toronto may rest some of their better players. The Leafs had five healthy scratches on Saturday so there is potential room to slide players in and out of their lineup.

As for Carolina, it’s too early to tell if they will have anything left to play for when they arrive in South Florida later this week.

Currently the Hurricanes have a one-point edge over New Jersey for the Metropolitan Division lead and are three points up on the Rangers. Carolina has three games left while the Devils and Rangers only have two apiece.

It’s very possibly the Metro winner is crowned before Thursday, which would make the game that much more meaningless to the Hurricanes, as long as they’re not fighting for home ice should they fall out of first. For those wondering, the Hurricanes had three healthy scratches for Saturday’s game in Buffalo, so they’ve also got some roster flexibility if they want to hold anyone out.

All this chatter about what other teams may or may not do can ultimately be made moot if the Panthers take care of business on their own.

Win, and you’re in.

“We took care of the games that we were supposed to,” Maurice said. “We knew when we got to the back half, we were going to have to play our best hockey of the year the last two games to win, and that's possible. We can play our best hockey. We're just expecting Pittsburgh and The Isle will win out.”

It’s a strenuous situation to be in, but it’s one that Florida players know they must face head-on. Ultimately, it’s nothing compared to the pressure and magnitude of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

If anybody knows what the talent and potential inside that Panthers hockey room holds, it’s the players themselves.

“You feel the moment, that it's do or die every game, and that's where you want to be playing,” said Reinhart. “You’ve got to embrace that. You’ve got to play through the nerves.”

“We all want to make it in so bad,” added Tkachuk. “We’re just doing whatever it takes right now to make sure that happens.”