Panthers top Capitals in OT in Game 6, win first playoff series since '96
Verhaeghe ends Eastern First Round at 2:46 for Florida
By
Harvey Valentine
NHL.com Independent Correspondent
Verhaeghe received a pass in the slot from Claude Giroux and lifted a backhand past Ilya Samsonov to give the Panthers their first series win since 1996.
"It feels amazing," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. "For a little while it felt like, what's happening right now? During my nine-year career here, I haven't been to the second round or past the first round, so it feels great. But at the same time, I know there's a lot of work to do. Right now, I enjoy this and get back to work tomorrow or whenever."
Verhaeghe, who did not take part in the morning skate because of an undisclosed injury, also had an assist, giving him 12 points (six goals, six assists) in the series. He scored the overtime winner in Game 4 and had five goals in the final three games.
RELATED: [Complete Panthers vs. Capitals series coverage]
Giroux had a goal and two assists for the Panthers, who gave up the tying goal late in the third period before advancing to the second round, where they will face either the Toronto Maple Leafs or Tampa Bay Lightning.
"To give up a late goal, those are heartbreaking moments," Panthers coach Andrew Brunette said. "They could really affect you. It could kill momentum, it could do a bunch of things and again we took the punch, we stood up and then we started punching back. That epitomizes what the whole season was."
Sergei Bobrovsky made 34 saves for Florida, which earned the Presidents' Trophy for the best regular-season record in the NHL.
Nic Dowd, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie scored for the Capitals, who were the second wild card in the East. Samsonov made 27 saves.
"I thought we did a lot of good things tonight, a lot of the right things, trying to hold them and bay and still able to generate," Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said. "We just couldn't get it done. We had the lead 2-1, we kicked it up. Had to fight back. It was a huge effort at the end of the third to tie it up. We couldn't just close it out."
Oshie tied it 3-3 with 1:03 remaining in the third period when he knocked in a loose puck during a scrum in front of the net with an extra attacker on and Florida's Gustav Forsling in the penalty box.
"Obviously, when they tie it up, maybe some guys are down a little bit. I was probably one of them," Giroux said. "But the mood was great. Guys were excited. Guys had a feeling that if we play our game, we're going to get our chances and we'll be able to score."
Barkov gave the Panthers a 3-2 lead at 14:17 when he converted a pass across the slot from Giroux after Samsonov made a save on MacKenzie Weegar's shot.
Backstrom put the Capitals ahead 2-1 at 1:37 of the third, deflecting Justin Schultz's shot from the point past Bobrovsky.
Giroux tied it 2-2 at 8:18 with a wrist shot from the right circle off a pass from Aaron Ekblad on the rush.
"That's obviously part of the things that you've got to do to be successful in the playoffs. You have to shut down teams," Backstrom said. "I don't know what else to say. It's obviously on us. It's disappointing."
The Capitals gave up third-period leads in Games 4 and Game 6, and surrendered a 3-0 second-period lead in Game 5.
"The last three games have been in our hands at some point in the third, or some point in the game, anyways. We were unable to capitalize on all those opportunities," Oshie said. "Not a lot of time has passed, so there's still some reflection to do. But super proud of the way the guys have battled all year, and this series is no different."
Dowd gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead at 3:44 of the second period. Garnet Hathaway got to a loose puck behind the Panthers net and passed to Dowd in the lower left circle. Dowd's initial shot hit the post, but he knocked in the rebound.
Ryan Lomberg, playing for the first time since Game 1, tied it 1-1 at 6:13 when he scored on the rebound from the slot after Samsonov made a pad save on Patric Hornqvist.
NOTES: The Panthers went 0-for-18 on the power play in the series. … Florida forward Anthony Duclair (two assists in the first five games) was a healthy scratch. … Barkov had six points (two goals, four assists) in the series. … Oshie led the Capitals with seven points (six goals, one assist). Backstrom (two goals, four assists) and Ovechkin (one goal, five assists) each finished with six points. … Only three players in NHL history have scored more overtime goals than Verhaeghe's two in a single playoff year: Mel Hill (three, 1939 Boston Bruins), Maurice Richard (three, 1951 Montreal Canadiens) and Corey Perry (three, 2017 Anaheim Ducks). … Verhaeghe became the 12th player in NHL history and fourth since 2002 to score the game-winning goal in three straight playoff games. Only one player has done it for four games: Clark Gillies (1977 New York Islanders).
