Brad Marchand hit a major milestone, Sam Reinhart continued his torrid scoring pace, and the Florida Panthers opened a lengthy home-heavy stretch in style.
Marchand recorded two assists to reach 1,000 career NHL points, and Reinhart scored twice as the Panthers defeated the Washington Capitals 6–3 on Thursday night. Eetu Luostarinen, Seth Jones, Cole Schwindt and Evan Rodrigues also scored for Florida, which is set to play 11 of its next 12 games at Amerant Bank Arena.
The 37-year-old Marchand notched career points No. 999 and 1,000 with helpers on Jones’ late third-period marker and Luostarinen’s empty-netter with 1:30 remaining. The veteran winger now has 335 goals and 565 assists in 1,116 games, becoming the latest player to join the league’s exclusive 1,000-point club.
Florida broke open a tight game in the second period. With the score tied 1–1, Schwindt snapped the deadlock just 3:05 into the period. Reinhart followed with a power-play strike with 5:19 left, burying a rebound after Logan Thompson stopped Carter Verhaeghe’s initial shot. The goal gave the Panthers a 3–1 lead and continued Reinhart’s strong start to the season.
Washington cut the deficit to 3–2 just 52 seconds into the third when Justin Sourdif scored, but the Panthers quickly countered. Reinhart netted his second of the night moments later, and Jones added his milestone 100th NHL goal to push the lead to 5–2.
After Rasmus Sandin made it 5–3 midway through the third, Florida sealed the win with Luostarinen’s empty-netter — also assisted by Marchand for point No. 1,000.
Backup goaltender Daniil Tarasov stopped 37 shots to earn his first victory with Florida. He held firm during several extended Washington pushes, particularly in the first period and early in the third.
Rodrigues also joined the 100-goal club with his tally in the first period, which tied the game 1–1 after Brandon Duhaime opened the scoring for Washington.
Florida once again played without several regulars, including Aleksander Barkov, Dmitry Kulikov, and Jonah Gadjovich. Despite the injuries, the Panthers continue to stack wins — and there may soon be help on the way. Coach Paul Maurice indicated that star forward Matthew Tkachuk, sidelined all season following offseason surgery, is trending toward a return in the coming weeks.
The Capitals closed their four-game trip with a 1–3 record. Duhaime, Sourdif and Sandin provided the scoring, while Thompson made 26 saves but could not contain Florida’s pressure late.
Capitals: Host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. Panthers: Continue the homestand Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
