5 Takeaways: Panthers Top Capitals in Shootout for Thrilling 1st Win

"Now, I think we can move ahead."
With those few words of relief, head coach Bob Boughner perfectly encapsulated the feeling in his team's dressing room after the Florida Panthers defeated the Washington Capitals 6-5 in a thrilling shootout to pick up their first win of the season on Friday night at Capital One Arena.

"We found a way to win tonight," Boughner said of the effort shown by Florida, which had lost each of its previous four games by just one goal. "We talked about winning the first game and how good it's going to feel to get the monkey off our back a little bit… It would have been tough losing that game tonight, even if we had just one point."
After jumping out to a 4-1 lead in the first period, the Panthers couldn't stave off Washington's comeback, as the Capitals got back to within one goal before Nicklas Backstrom scored during a 6-on-4 power play with 1:25 to go in regulation to tie the game at 5 and force the extra frame.
Following a scoreless overtime period - which impressively went a full heart attack-inducing five minutes without a single whistle - the game transitioned to the shootout, where Jonathan Huberdeau scored in the fifth round to secure a mammoth two points for the Panthers over the defending Stanley Cup champions.
"We needed it really bad," said Huberdeau, who finished the game tied for the team lead with three points (one goal, two assists). "I was scared at some point in the third. They were coming hard, but I think we stuck to the game plan. We were up 4-1 in the game, for sure, but we've got to take the positives out of it. A big win in the shootout. Now we've got to go back out tomorrow and get another win, too."
Florida (1-2-2) will go for its second straight win on Saturday against Detroit at BB&T Center.
Here are five takeaways from Friday night's victory in the nation's capital…

1. COMING OUT SWINGING

The Panthers were nearly perfect in the first period on Friday night, scoring four goals within a span of 8:03 to take a 4-1 lead into the first intermission. Including the third period of Tuesday night's 6-5 shootout loss in Philadelphia, Florida scored seven goals in 40 minutes of regulation.
Vincent Trocheck scored the first goal of the night with a shot that bounced off a defender and past Braden Holtby to put Florida up 1-0 at 10:49 of the first - the fourth time in five games that the Panthers opened the scoring. From there, Evgenii Dadonov and Colton Sceviour both lit the lamp before Jared McCann capped off the team's four-goal outburst at 18:52 of the period.

"We know that when we play our game and a full 60 minutes, we can play with anyone in this league," Sceviour said. "A lot of guys were here when we showed it last year, and now we see the impact of that… We came out and started that way."
While their scoring was impressive, the Panthers also did a great job containing Washington's red-hot offense, holding the Capitals to just two shots on net until John Carlson scored their lone goal of the period on their third shot of the game. After 20, Florida held an 11-5 shot advantage.

2. SECOND-PERIOD SLUMP

While the first period belonged to the Panthers, the second was mostly about the Capitals.
Just 1:48 into the second 20 minutes, Brett Connolly found the back of the net and kickstarted Washington's comeback. Not long after that tally, Jakub Vrana and Devante Smith-Pelly scored less than five minutes apart to tie the game at 4 at 13:15. Cleary, the momentum had shifted.
At this point, Florida's struggles in the second period continue to be a bit confusing. The team has allowed 11 goals in the middle frame, but just nine in the first and third periods combined.
"That snowball effect, again," Boughner said. "We got rolling then shot ourselves in the foot a little bit."
Luckily, the Panthers were able to overcome their brief lapse, as Huberdeau sent the Panthers into the third period on a high note by jumping on a loose puck in the crease and backhanding it home at 19:09 to put Florida back on top 5-4 heading into the final 20 minutes of the game.

3. POWER UP

Speaking of power play, the Panthers seem to have found their groove with the extra attacker.
After going 0-for-13 in the first three games of the season, the Panthers have now scored on the man advantage in back-to-back games, including a 2-for-7 performance against the Capitals on Friday night. Florida went a respectable 1-for-3 on the power play in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
In addition to Huberdeau's clutch tally in the second period, Dadonov also scored on the power play, going top-shelf on Holtby after some very nifty passing to put the Panthers up 2-1 at 15:58 of the first period. With the goal, Dadonov is now tied for the team lead in power play points (2).
"It's a completely different look than it was last year," Trocheck said of the power play. "It just took a little bit of getting used to. Now I think we're a little bit more confident. We're moving the puck really well and getting a lot of chances."

4. SCEVIOUR STEPS UP

A healthy scratch on Tuesday in Philadelphia, Sceviour was given a golden opportunity in his return to the lineup against the Capitals. A staple of the fourth line on most nights, the veteran winger was bumped up to second-line duty, starting the night on Trocheck's right side.
As expected, Sceviour was up the challenge and produced almost immediately, scoring on his second attempt after a blocked shot to put the Panthers up 3-1 at 16:36 of the first period. The score was not only the 29-year-old forward's first goal of the season, but also his first point.

"I think everyone here is part excited and part relieved," said Sceviour, who also registered a team-high three hits and two blocked shots. "I think when we had the game under control, we kind of let them back in. They're a good team and they're going to do that. But finding a way to get two points, that was huge."
No stranger to the top-six, Sceviour already proved last season that he can take on the added responsibility, recording five points (two goals, three assists) over the final games of the 2017-18 campaign while seeing over 17:00 of ice time in four of those contests. And after Friday's stellar performance, Boughner once again seemed pleased with the very versatile winger.
"I loved Troch's line," Boughner said. "It was a coming out, I think, for that line a little bit. Sceves played well."

5. TRO-CHECK, PLEASE!

In looking at the scoresheet, there was certainly no shortage of praise to be passed around Florida's dressing room after Friday night's win. Not only did 10 players record a point, but seven others skated at least 20 minutes - including a team-high 29:49 from Aaron Ekblad.
But even among that group of game-night heroes, Trocheck stands out.
In addition to scoring a game-saving goal to extend the shootout, the 25-year-old center showed just why Boughner calls him "the engine" of the team, as he notched three points (one goal, two assists), two hits, two blocks and three takeaways while also leading all Panthers forwards with 26:02 of ice time, including an astounding shift that hovered around 2:30 to start overtime.
"Holy s---, I'm tired," said an exhausted Trocheck, who now leads the Panthers in scoring with seven points (two goals, five assists). "A long game. They're a good team… Showed a lot of character that we were able to stay with it and get that win."

BONUS: HUTCH IS CLUTCH

After coming on in relief of James Reimer in the second period, Michael Hutchinson stopped 10 of the 11 shots before denying both Alexander Ovechkin and Backstrom in the shootout to pick up his first win as a member of the Panthers, who he inked a one-year deal with this summer.
"Huge," Trocheck said of the performance. "We've been in three shootouts now. Any time a goalie can come up with big saves against great players like them it puts it on us. Tonight, we took care of it.'