The Florida Panthers shrugged off a brutal night in Carolina and quickly got back on track Saturday, rebounding with a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena.
Sam Bennett led the way with a goal and two assists as the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions responded emphatically after a 9-1 loss to the Hurricanes the night before. Florida showed poise and depth, getting goals from A.J. Greer, Uvis Balinskis, Anton Lundell and Carter Verhaeghe to split the back-to-back on the road.
The Panthers struck first after Washington had a goal overturned on an offside review in the opening period. Bennett attempted to stuff the puck past Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson, and Greer was right there to bury the rebound for a 1-0 Florida lead.
Washington answered in the second behind defenseman Jacob Chychrun, who scored twice to briefly swing momentum. Chychrun ripped a shot from the left circle to tie the game, then later snapped another from just inside the blue line to give the Capitals a 2-1 advantage.
That lead didn’t last long. Bennett tied the game at 2-2, and moments later Florida capitalized on a delay-of-game penalty to Alex Ovechkin for putting the puck over the glass. Balinskis fired a shot from just beyond the right circle that found its way through traffic, sending the Panthers into the intermission with a 3-2 lead.
Florida clamped down defensively in the third and sealed the win with a pair of empty-net goals from Lundell and Verhaeghe. Daniil Tarasov, getting the start with Sergei Bobrovsky given the night off after allowing nine goals in Carolina, was solid when called upon.
The loss continued a difficult stretch for Washington, which has dropped to 6-10-3 over its last 19 games. The Capitals were again without injured forwards Tom Wilson and Pierre-Luc Dubois and are set to head west for a daunting six-game road trip.
Both teams were missing key pieces. Florida played without Brad Marchand, while Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk have yet to appear this season. Washington, meanwhile, continues to shuffle its lineup amid injuries and inconsistency.
The Panthers return home to host San Jose on Monday night, while the Capitals open their road trip Monday in Colorado.
