Shorthanded Caps turn in solid performance but fall to Panthers originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
WASHINGTON — Down to 17 skaters for a second game in a row, including losing captain Alex Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals turned in an admirable performance in front of their home fans at Capital One Arena on Saturday evening.
Unfortunately for Washington, it wasn’t enough to knock off the Florida Panthers. Matthew Tkachuk sniped one past Charlie Lindgren with exactly one minute remaining in the third period, to give the opposition a go-ahead goal in a 4-2 Florida victory. It was a huge two points to keep pace with the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders in the Wild Card race.
Both teams entered their respective dressing rooms without a goal in the first period, but it wasn’t for a lack of action. The Capitals had two separate power-play opportunities in the frame, yet were unable to convert on either. Florida registered 10 shots on goal in the first 20 minutes.
The Panthers appeared to take a one-goal lead with 3:32 remaining in the first period, as Tkachuk redirected a shot from Brandon Montour into the back of the net. The referees immediately went to review the goal, though, and it was waived off after the crew determined Tkachuk’s stick was “indeed too high.” Nearly the exact same thing happened for Florida just two and a half minutes into the second period, as another Panthers redirect goal was waived off due to a high stick.
After failing to capitalize on a power play where they registered five shots on goal, Capitals center Dylan Strome broke the 0-0 deadlock with 11:09 remaining in the second period. Strome carried the puck in between a few Panthers defenders and found Tom Wilson, whose initial shot was blocked. Strome was in the right place and fired the puck past Alex Lyon for the goal.
Washington’s lead lasted just over two minutes, though, as Carter Verhagae evened the game with 9:04 remaining in the middle frame with a snipe from the right circle off a clean draw. Capitals forward Nic Dowd, who appeared to be in the shooting lane, was knocked down by Tkachuk as Verhagae shot the puck and was visibly upset no penalty was called.
The momentum continued to shift in Florida’s favor after Wilson was called for a high stick penalty just a couple of minutes following Verhaeghe’s goal. Then on the power play, the Panthers took the lead after Aaron Ekblad converted a rebound on a shot attempt from winger Sam Reinhart.
Florida’s lead lasted even shorter than Washington’s early advantage, however. With just under four minutes remaining in the middle frame, Conor Sheary found an open Wilson in front of the net; Wilson elevated the puck perfectly past Lyon to even the game at two.
Intensity ramped up even more during the third period. Midway through the frame, Wilson and Panthers forward Givani Smith were each sent to the box for roughing after the two exchanged shoves near Florida’s bench. After two minutes of 4-on-4 concluded, Wilson delivered a big hit on Smith just before he got back to Florida’s bench. Play was stopped just moments later after Aliaksei Protas was called for tripping, a penalty the Capital One Arena faithful was not thrilled about.
The Capitals were able to kill two Florida power plays in the third period, but Florida dictated much of the action throughout the frame. Yet for the first 19 minutes of the third, Lindgren (with help from his defense) prevented the Panthers from getting their go-ahead goal.
Tkachuk’s snipe from the glass broke the 2-2 tie with 60 seconds remaining, putting the dagger in Washington’s upset chances. Reinhart added an empty net goal 20 seconds later to put the finishing touches on the 4-2 victory.
Despite Saturday’s effort being a solid one from the Capitals, especially considering the players they were missing, the home side was still significantly outplayed by Florida in the final period. The Panthers held an 18-3 shots-on-goal advantage over the final 20 minutes, as Washington never really put together a strong chance to take the lead late.
Washington has now lost six straight games against Florida, dating back to last season’s first-round playoff series. The Panthers won all three regular-season contests this season, outscoring the Capitals 15-7 over that stretch.
The Capitals also moved to 0-7-0 without Ovechkin this season; the last time Washington won a game without their captain on the ice was in February of 2022. Washington has just three games remaining in the regular season and will miss the postseason for the first time in nine years.
