One NHL playoff streak ended whereas one other one simply stored proper on going.
Florida snapped its 26-year playoff collection drought with a 4-3 time beyond regulation victory over the Washington Capitals in Recreation 6 Friday evening. The Panthers hadn’t received a playoff collection since 1996, once they appeared in a Stanley Cup Last.
,[That series win] was a very long time coming,” stated Jonathan Huberdeau, who notched three factors within the collection in opposition to Washington. Now, we’d as properly go all the best way.”
Florida, which superior due to Carter Verhaeghe’s OT game-winner, strikes on now to face the winner between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs within the second spherical. Recreation 7 of that collection is about for Saturday at 7 pm ET.
Whereas Florida lastly earned a playoff collection victory, Washington simply retains bowing out of the playoffs early. The defeat made for 4 consecutive first-round exits for Washington, who have not superior within the playoffs since profitable a Stanley Cup in 2018.
,[It’s] a kinda f—ed up state of affairs,” stated Capitals’ captain Alex Ovechkin of the staff’s dry spell. “I feel you see how we performed in opposition to the perfect staff within the common season. We now have it, however we simply blow it away. It’s on us. It’s on me, on [Nicklas Backstrom]on [TJ Oshie]on [John Carlson], It’s on all people.”
“We mainly gave the collection to them,” added Backstrom.
Washington did not make it simple on Florida, although. The Capitals began the playoffs as an eight seed up in opposition to the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners. Florida dominated the league offensively from the get-go and topped out at a franchise-record 122 factors.
Nonetheless, the Capitals gave Florida all it may deal with, taking a 2-1 collection lead after Recreation 3.
Actually, Washington received Recreation 1 and Recreation 3 by a mixed rating of 10-3, pushing Florida netminder Sergei Bobrovsky to the restrict and difficult Florida’s secure of high-octane forwards. In Recreation 5, the Capitals held a 3-0 lead too, however they let it slip away to finish up with their very own backs in opposition to the wall.
That was an important swing for the Panthers. It not solely gave them again an higher hand within the collection however quieted a few of Washington’s burgeoning confidence forward of what can be a decisive Recreation 6 in their very own constructing.
“These items, you have to undergo them to actually get the texture of it,” Panthers’ interim coach Andrew Brunette stated of dealing with adversity. “It’s a must to have heartbreaks. You discover how exhausting it’s, you perceive it, and also you be resilient. Whenever you see the reward like they noticed tonight, it is all value it.
“We took the punch, we stood up, and we began punching again.”
Washington tried its finest even in Recreation 6 to maintain Florida from shifting on, scoring late to pressure time beyond regulation and forcing the Panthers to work for the collection victory.
The Capitals have been on the board first in that recreation too, when Nick Dowd beat Bobrovsky early within the second interval.
However Ryan Lomberg responded rapidly for Florida, making it 2-2 heading into the third interval.
The Capitals stored the strain on, and Backstrom put them again on high lower than two minutes into that ultimate body. Claude Giroux notched his third aim of the postseason for Florida to even issues up halfway although, and captain Aleksander Barkov scored the go-ahead aim for the Panthers late within the third.
Verhaeghe’s game-winner for Florida was his sixth aim of the postseason. He had left the sport earlier with an obvious damage however returned to play hero for the Panthers. In doing so, Verhaeghe turned the primary NHL participant to attain three straight game-winning objectives within the playoffs since David Krejci in 2011, and he is the primary participant in Florida’s franchise historical past to attain a number of OT playoff game-winners in a single collection.
The Panthers transfer on now to the second spherical holding the inauspicious designation of the one playoff staff to not have scored an influence play aim. Florida went 0-for-19 in opposition to Washington with the additional man, after boasting the league’s fifth-best energy play (24.4%) within the common season.
