Bobrovsky makes 41 saves to help Panthers hold off Capitals

Sergei Bobrovsky made 41 saves, including 21 in the third period, to help the Florida Panthers defeat the Washington Capitals 5-2 at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Tuesday.

Carter Verhaeghe scored twice in the third, and Aleksander Barkov had a goal and two assists for the Panthers (9-6-1), who have won three of their past four. Matthew Tkachuk had three assists.
"I felt good," said Bobrovsky, who was making his first start in four games. "I saw the puck well. Guys helped me a lot to clear the front of the net. [The Capitals] have good offensive weapons and they've been a good team. We respect them, and it's a big two points."

Paul Maurice of the Panthers became the fourth coach to reach 1,700 NHL games (Scotty Bowman, 2,141; Barry Trotz, 1,812; Joel Quenneville, 1,768).
John Carlson had a goal and an assist for the Capitals (7-9-2), who have lost seven of nine (2-5-2). Darcy Kuemper made 38 saves.
"I thought we played hard in the last 40 minutes and pushed to get that win," said Washington coach Peter Laviolette, who returned after missing two games while in NHL COVID-19 protocol. "We couldn't seem to get ahead of the score. We couldn't seem to get where we wanted to go."
The teams met for the first time since the Panthers eliminated the Capitals in six games in the 2022 Eastern Conference First Round.
Washington was 0-for-5 on the power play; Florida was 1-for-1.
"I think the penalty kill deserves all the credit for tonight's win," Maurice said. "And the goalie is the key piece, right? Your best penalty killer. They were great."

Barkov gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead at 5:45 of the first period when he controlled a loose puck and scored with a wrist shot from the high slot.
"When his mentality is shoot first, he's just such a dynamic player," Maurice said. "I'm happy for him because he's played a lot of really good hockey and the points haven't been there for him. He's a driver for us, so he needs to have that success."
Florida increased the lead to 2-0 on the power play at 3:46 of the second period when Sam Reinhart batted a loose puck over Kuemper's shoulder from in front of the crease.
Dylan Strome pulled Washington within 2-1 at 15:04, scoring on a high wrist shot from the top of the left face-off circle off a pass from Joe Snively on the rush during 4-on-4 play.
"The first period they were just quicker than us," Laviolette said. "A lot of that had to do with us and just fueling their transition with turnovers, but I thought we got it under control and had a chance at the game."

Nick Cousins extended it to 3-1 at 7:02 of the third when he took a pass from Gustav Forsling at the side of the net, curled around Kuemper and tucked the puck in.
Carlson cut it to 3-2 at 11:15 when he redirected an Erik Gustafsson pass in the slot during a delayed penalty.
Verhaeghe knocked in a loose puck in front to make it 4-2 at 17:00, then scored into an empty net at 18:36 for the 5-2 final.
"We spent the majority of the third period in their zone, and I think the few looks that they got they capitalized on," Capitals defenseman Matt Irwin said. "It's hard to chase a game, especially against a team like that."
NOTES: Maurice is 784-686-131 with 99 ties in 25 seasons with the Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Panthers. … Tkachuk's first assist, on Reinhart's goal, was his 400th NHL point. He has 402 points (157 goals, 245 assists) in 445 games. … Barkov has 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) in 19 games against Washington. … The Capitals are 0-for-21 on the power play in their past four games. … Washington forward Alex Ovechkin has gone four games without a goal, his longest drought of the season. … The Capitals were without forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel, who served the second of a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Cal Foote on Friday.