The Florida Panthers pulled off a major win en route to the playoffs on Thursday at Capital One Arena, beating the Washington Capitals 6-3.
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The Florida team won their first two games against the Caps since the beginning of the year. Paul Maurice’s side will be in a frantic race for the overall standings with several teams including the Capitals, with whom they are level on points by 62 points.
The second third paid off for the guests, as they scored three goals. Aleksander Barkov restored his team’s three-goal lead by choosing the shot in a two-on-one to fool Darcy Kuemper’s vigilance. Earlier in the period, Colin White had found the back of the net at the breakaway. Defending veteran Marc Staal also wanted to add his two cents with his first goal of the season at the beginning of the second period.
Strikers Nicklas Backstrom and Evgevy Kuznetsov reduced the deficit to just one goal in the third period. Dylan Strome also scored earlier in the game.
Gustav Forsling opened the scoring in the first period, while Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart back-to-back goals late in the game.
The Blue Jackets grab a win
At Nationwide Arena, the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Winnipeg Jets 3 to 1.
Young striker Kent Johnson blazed the red light with a low shot midway through the third period, catching goalkeeper David Rittich by surprise. It is his third winning goal of his career.
Hometown favorite Joonas Korpisalo put on a strong game, signaling 35 of 36 shots he faced and ending the Jets’ treble winning streak.
Patrik Laine leveled the game against his former team on the power play with 10 minutes remaining in the second period. His precise shot went over the goalkeeper’s left shoulder.
But it was the visiting formation that opened the doors. With 1.8 seconds left in the first period, Kyle Connor fired a shot that smashed the opposing goalie with a massive attack. He scored his 25th goal of the season, a mark he has achieved every season since the second season of his career.
Boone Jenner scored the insurance goal into the empty net.