Florida returns home for final two games in control of playoff destiny
Florida returns home for final two games in control of playoff destiny
The Florida Panthers traveled to our nation’s capital for what they hoped would be a quick business trip at a crucial time of the season.
Washington put up a good fight, but the Cats returned home on Saturday night satisfied with their visit to DC thanks to a last-minute win over the Capitals.
Leading the way for the Panthers was their ascending young All-Star Matthew Tkachuk.
His goal with sixty seconds to go put Florida ahead for good, giving Florida its latest crucial win as they continue to fight for a playoff spot.
The victory kept the Panthers atop the Wild Card race despite the teams they’re fighting with, the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders, also picking up two points Saturday.
All three teams have two games left to play.
Now back to Tkachuk for a moment.
He has taken his already elite game to another level over the past couple weeks, fueling Florida’s push for a playoff spot.
Regardless of what line he’s skated on, the 25-year-old has been a dominant force in terms of impacting play in a positive way for the Panthers.
Tkachuk now has five goals and 11 points over his past five games.
The Cats will return home for a pair of games that will make or break their playoff dreams.
Florida hosts Toronto on Monday before closing out the regular season Thursday against Carolina.
FIRST PERIOD
Florida controlled the early stages of the game as the Caps appeared to be trying to play keep away when they had the puck.
When Washington did get some offensive zone time, Florida’s defense was solid in front of goaltender Alex Lyon.
Leading the way for the Cats early in the game was the second line Tkachuk with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, which generated several opportunities and kept Washington at bay.
Florida thought they opened scoring late in the first off a nice deflection by Tkachuk, but after a lengthy review the goal was called off for a high stick.
Florida was 2-for-2 on the PK in the first period, but the game remained scoreless through twenty minutes.
SECOND PERIOD
The Panthers thought they scored again, but just like the last time, the goal was called off for a high stick. This time it was Reinhart who hit the puck above the crossbar.
Momentum started to shift in Washington’s direction after that.
The first team to score a goal that actually counted was the Caps as Dylan Strome got his stick on a loose rebound off a Tom Wilson shot and put it past Lyon.
The Capitals dominance continued, outshooting Florida 11-1 during the second period until the Panthers finally got on the scoreboard.
The tally came directly off an offensive zone draw. Sasha Barkov won the puck back to Branton Montour at the point, who quickly found Verhaeghe along the half boards.
The man they call Swaggy quickly one-timed the puck past an unsuspecting Charlie Lindgren to get the Cats going.
Florida finally took their first lead of the game after getting a power play late in the period.
The puck found its way to Reinhart in the slot, who quickly fired it on net. Lindgren stopped him with the right pad but the rebound went straight to a wide-open Ekblad who had a yawning cage to shoot at.
Just over two minutes later Tom Wilson tied the game for the Caps. He got behind Gus Forsling, who tried forcing a turnover just outside the Panthers blue line, and then Wilson tipped a nice pass by Conor Sheary past Lyon.
The Cats finished the second outshooting the Caps 8-1 after getting outshot majorly the first half of the period, momentum they hoped to carry into a crucial final twenty minutes.
THIRD PERIOD
The frame began with a dominant shift by the newly built line of Barkov centering Tkachuk and Verhaeghe. Barkov clanked a shot off the crossbar, but the Cats ultimately came up empty.
Florida continued to come at the Capitals in waves, but Lindgren came up with several big stops, including a pair in tight on Reinhart and Verhaeghe.
A great shift by the Barkov line and individual effort by Barkov himself led to a tripping penalty on Alexander Alexeyev and Florida’s second power play of the period.
Unfortunately for the Cats, they came up empty on both and the game remained tied.
A couple minutes later, Eric Staal found Reinhart all alone alongside the crease with Lindgren on his belly, but the puck found iron instead of twine.
Reinhart had an open net to shoot at, but great play was made by Rasmus Sandin to get just enough of his stick on the puck to deflect it off the post. It didn’t help Reino that the puck was bouncing as it arrived on his tape.
A very hockey-ish exchange led to the game-winning goal with exactly sixty seconds on the clock.
Moments after Tkachuk took a hit from Nicklas Backstrom that left him on the ice in apparent pain, the puck found its way back into the Caps zone.
Lindgren stopped the puck behind his cage and fired it around the glass, but Tkachuk was there to quickly stop the puck and send it toward the net.
A scrambling Lindgren barely had a chance to get back in his crease, but by the he got there, the puck was already on its way past him.
Reinhart sealed the deal with an empty-net goal 20 seconds later to ensure Florida would get out of DC with a big regulation win.
GAME NOTES
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