5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers 6, Capitals 3

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Coming out on top in their biggest game of the season to date, the Florida Panthers earned a 6-3 win over the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Thursday.
With the race of the playoffs really starting to heat up, the Panthers (28-24-6) are now tied with the Capitals (28-23-6) for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
"Everyone played awesome," forward Colin White said. "We knew how big of a game this was. It felt like a playoff game out there. I thought we got our best effort. Everyone worked so hard."
For a quick recap of the game, click
HERE
.
To read up on five key takeaways for the Cats, continue below.

1. THE GUS BUS

Gustav Forsling had himself a game.
In addition to opening the scoring for the Panthers with a wicked shot from the high slot in the first period, the smooth-skating defenseman posted three blocks, one takeaway and had several pass breakups in the defensive zone while seeing 21:55 of ice time during the win.

"I just wanted to let Luosty know that I was wide open," Forsling said of his goal, which was the 56th tally for the Panthers in the first period this season. "I got a nice pass, walked in and scored."
On pace to surpass the career-high 37 points he recorded in 2021-22, Forsling ranks second among Panthers defensemen in scoring with 32 points (eight goals, 24 assists) this season. Additionally, he ranks third among the club's blueliners in blocks (79) and first in takeaways (34).

2. STAAL'S FIRST

The bench went wild after this one.
Finding the back of the net for the first time this season, the Panthers doubled their lead to 2-0 in the second period when Marc Staal one-timed a shot past Darcy Kuemper and into the cage.

"It felt good," Staal said. "I'm not that stressed about it or really think about it, but the boys were pretty pumped up for me, so it was nice to get. Nice to get one and get the momentum going."
From my view in the press box, it appeared no one was more excited than Matthew Tkachuk.
"I was surprised he didn't act like he tipped it in, that's usually his move," Staal chuckled. "I haven't scored all year, so it was exciting. It was a big goal in a big game. It was a lot of fun."
The 50th goal of his career, Staal has been bringing his usual brand of hard-nosed defense to the blue line for the Panthers this season. Playing with Brandon Montour on the second pairing, he leads the team in blocks (82) and also ranks second in ice time on the penalty kill (162:39).
Against the Capitals, Staal finished tied for first on the team with a +3 rating.

3. WHITE'S BACKHAND

White wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste.
Back in the lineup to help fill in for injured center Sam Bennett, White increased Florida's lead to 3-0 in the second period when he got behind the defense and roofed a beautiful backhand shot over Kuemper.

"It felt great," said White, who hadn't suited up since Feb. 9 against San Jose. "I've been working really hard, and hard work pays off. It felt good to come in and contribute tonight."
On the play, Lundell made a silky pass to get the puck onto White's stick.
"A great play by Lundy," Whtie said of Lundell, who finished with one goal and two assists. "He found me there at the end of a shift. I was lucky enough to beat him on the far side there."
In 44 games this season, White has produced 14 points (seven goals, seven assists). Making the most of out of his opportunities, he's scored two goals over his last four games. A positive player at 5-on-5, the Panthers have led 20-16 in goals when he's been deployed on the ice this season.
Overall, Maurice was happy to see both Staal and White light the lamp.
"When Staaler scores and Whitey gets one the way he did after being out of lineup, you kind of get that feeling that it's going for us tonight," Maurice said.

4. NO PEEKING

Aleksander Barkov never saw it, but the rest of us did.
Flying into the zone on a 2-on-1 rush with Grigori Denisenko in the second period, the captain put the Panthers up 4-1 when ripped a stunning no-look laser into the back of the net.

"We slowed it down and watched it a whole bunch of times," Maurice said of Barkov's goal, which should find a place in his career highlight reel. "His head never checks his shoulder. He's just done that too many times to ever call it lucky. It was just incredible. A huge goal for us."
Producing at better than a point-per-game clip this season, Barkov, who has missed some time due to injuries, has registered 49 points (16 goals, 33 assists) in 47 games. With just one more point, he'll set a franchise record for the most 50-point seasons by a Panther with eight.
Earning at least one point in 13 of his last 16 games, Barkov has notched 19 points in that stretch. Dominant in the possession game as always, he posted a team-high 60 CF% at 5-on-5 against Washington. Overall, the Panthers led 12-8 in shot attempts, 8-4 in shots on goal and 9-2 in scoring chances over the 11:37 he spent on the ice at 5-on-5 during the win.

5. THE HOT HAND

Sergei Bobrovsky continues to stay calm under pressure.
Finishing with 29 saves against the Capitals, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner stopped all 13 high-danger shots he faced, per NaturalStatTrick.com. Owning a 4-1-0 record with a .943 save percentage over his last five starts, he's stopped 64 of 67 high-danger shots in that span.
In Washington, Maurice said he was most impressed by Bobrovsky's saves off rebounds.
"On those saves, which are the highest percentage goals, he was just so square and moving out on the shots," Maurice said. "We just had a long conversation about the confidence you get to keep. You play well, you get to keep it. He looks like that."
On fire for a while now, Bobrovsky has gone 9-3-1 with a .918 save percentage since Dec. 29.
"We have done lots of hard work," Bobrovsky said of helping the Panthers claw back into the playoff picture. "It's an opportunity for us. We're excited about it and enjoy every second of it."