WASHINGTON (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk scored the tiebreaking target with 1 moment still left in regulation and experienced two helps as the Florida Panthers beat the Washington Capitals 4-2 on Saturday evening for their sixth straight earn.
Sam Reinhart experienced a intention and an support, and Carter Verhaeghe and Aaron Ekblad also scored for Florida, which reclaimed the best wild card in the Jap Meeting. The Panthers moved previous Pittsburgh, which beat Detroit before Saturday. Florida is tied with the New York Islanders with 91 details but retains the tiebreaker.
“We have to continue to keep it going,” Tkachuk stated. “Teams all over us are profitable and fortunately for us, we form of management our destiny right here. We’ve just got to keep successful listed here. We all want to make it in so bad, so we’re just undertaking whatsoever it normally takes appropriate now to make certain that occurs.”
Aleksander Barkov experienced two helps and Alex Lyon had 22 saves for the Panthers.
Tom Wilson had a goal and an guide, and Dylan Strome also scored for Washington, which lost its sixth straight and will miss out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the very first time in 9 yrs. Charlie Lindgren stopped 33 pictures.
“Obviously we’re out of the playoffs, but we’re attempting to enjoy spoiler,” Strome reported. “I believed (Lindgren) had an unbelievable game. That activity is likely 5-2, 6-2 if it’s not for him in the 3rd period … you could see they were actually pressing, they will need the points.”
The Capitals played with just 17 skaters for the next straight activity, with Alex Ovechkin, Anthony Mantha, T.J. Oshie and Trevor van Riemsdyk out with injuries. Washington is now -7- with no Ovechkin this year and has misplaced the last 10 video games he’s skipped.
“We’re all in this collectively. It is regrettable the way it finished,” Washington mentor Peter Laviolette explained. “I assumed the men played difficult tonight. They competed tough, they were being invested, they were actual physical, they had been skating. They had to triumph over a large amount of points on the ice.”
After a quiet opening interval and two Florida aims remaining waved off owing to superior sticks, each groups received on the board in a busy 2nd time period.
Strome opened the scoring at 8:51 of the center time period, lifting a rebound in limited earlier Lyon to give the Capitals a 1- direct. It marked his third straight sport with a target and his 21st of the period.
Just about two minutes later, Verhaeghe acquired the Panthers on the board, firing a one-timer earlier Lindgren.
Ekblad then gave Florida a 2-1 guide at 13:47 of the next, scoring a power-enjoy target off a rebound. On the other hand, Wilson tied factors up soon just after driving to the internet and redirecting Conor Sheary’s feed to the front.
The Panthers tilted the ice and piled on stress in the 3rd, and Tkachuk gave Florida a late direct with his 40th purpose of the year. Reinhart sealed the get with an vacant netter.
“It was a limited-checking match, it was a grinder,” Florida mentor Paul Maurice explained. “The force is creating in our area as that game goes on. You go tied heading into the third, so you’re looking at for that response to the strain and we ended up pretty superior in the 3rd, that was our very best by far. And pushed challenging. I really don’t know, I consider, possibly it is karma or not, but we get the two targets (waved off early), but they stayed with it. We acquired greater as the game went on, certainly in the third, so that is a great signal.”
Value NOTING
Ovechkin (day-to-working day, higher-system) has now skipped just 54 online games in his NHL profession. … Beck Malenstyn played in his very first NHL recreation since breaking his finger on Nov. 1, as Washington recalled him beneath unexpected emergency circumstances amid mounting accidents. … Ekblad has factors in 7 straight games, Brandon Montour extended his issue streak to 6 games and Tkachuk now has factors in five straight contests.
UP Upcoming
Panthers: Host Toronto on Monday night.
Capitals: Host the New York Islanders on Monday evening.
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