5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers 'finally rewarded,' move on to Round 2 of playoffs

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Jonathan Huberdeau summed it up best.
"A long time coming," the longest-tenured member of the Panthers smiled.
Shedding a collective weight from the franchise, Carter Verhaeghe scored 2:46 into overtime to send the Panthers into Round 2 of the playoffs for the first time since 1996 with a 4-3 win over the Capitals in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Friday at Capital One Arena.

"Finally we're rewarded," Huberdeau said. "Guys played hard all series long. We took the lead, and they tied it up. We stuck with it. Big goal. Swagu had one hell of a series. We owe it to him. Two huge OT goals. It's nice to win the series and now we can think about the second round."
Following a physical and scoreless first period, Nic Dowd broke the ice for the Capitals in the second when he hunted down his own rebound after his initial shot clanged off the crossbar and sent the loose puck right under Sergei Bobrovsky's pads and into the net to make it 1-0 at 3:44.
Getting that goal back for the Panthers less than three minutes later, Ryan Lomberg, who had been a healthy scratch in each of the four previous contests, crashed the net after a shot from Patric Hornqvist and powered the ensuing rebound past Ilya Samsonov to make it 1-1 at 6:13.
"Lomby got us a big goal there," Panthers forward Claude Giroux said. "We didn't have much going on. Our play was a little dead, and he gets a big goal for us. Their line did a great shift."
Just 1:37 into the third period, Nicklas Backstrom put the Capitals up 2-1 when he tipped a shot from Justin Schultz barely over Bobrovsky's glove. But not too long after that, Giroux, who the Panthers picked up at the deadline for moments just like this, lit the lamp to make it 2-2 at 8:18.
Putting the Panthers on top with time winding down in regulation, Aleksander Barkov took a sweet dish from Giroux and beat Samsonov from the left side of the net to make it 3-2 at 14:17.
Not going down without a fight, the Capitals, who had a 6-on-4 advantage after pulling their goalie while on the power play, tied the game with 1:03 left in regulation when T.J. Oshie, who led Washington with six goals in the series, got just enough of a pinballing puck to make it 3-3.
"We know it's not easy at all," Barkov said of trying to put away the Capitals, who won the Stanley Cup in 2018. "They're a really good team and they play the right way. They kept us on our toes every game, every period. We knew we might have to win it this way or that way. They happened to tie the game, but it happens. We got ready for overtime and took over in overtime."
Once the game got to the extra frame, was there any question who'd score the winner?
Netting his third game-winning goal of the series, Verhaeghe, who rallied after missing this morning's skate with an undisclosed injury, took a pass from Giroux and lifted a backhand shot past Samsonov from the slot to lock in the 4-3 win and send both teams to the handshake line.

"Kind of what we saw all year, the resilience of the group," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said of watching his players rise to the occasion once again. "People like to say the 'Comeback Cats,' but I'm not sure that's what I see. I see a group of guys that get hit, and they don't fall down, and they start hitting back. They showed that throughout that whole series."
With their season still very much alive and momentum on their side, the Panthers' opponent in Round 2 will be whichever team wins Game 7 between Toronto and Tampa Bay on Saturday.
In the meantime, let's all enjoy this for a moment.
Like Huberdeau said, it was a long time coming.
"I think right now you just want to enjoy what you've done," Brunette said. "You've got to celebrate a little bit and enjoy it. This is a hard accomplishment. I think in life sometimes you don't celebrate the good times, so let's enjoy this."
You got it, coach.
Here are five takeaways from Friday's series-clinching win in Washington…

1. LOMBY'S BACK

After sitting out the last few games, you knew the Lomberghini would have a full tank of gas.
Putting the pedal to the metal and crashing toward the cage, Lomberg got the Panthers on the board and tied the game when he cashed in on a rebound to make it 1-1 in the second period. Also bringing his usual edge, he led all Cats with six hits in Game 6.

"It's the toughest time of the year to be watching," Lomberg said of getting back into the lineup. "I wanted to make sure I showed [Brunette] and showed everyone that I can help this team win."
Relishing the spotlight, Lomberg is no stranger to heroics. In last year's playoffs, it was his goal in overtime that lifted the Panthers to a win over the Lightning in Game 3 of Round 1. Carrying that mojo into this season, he notched new career-highs in goals (9), assists (9) and points (18).
Not bad for a player that was never drafted, right?
"I just love playoff hockey," Lomberg said. "It's hard. You've got to earn every inch you get, and that's kind of how it's been my whole life being an undersized guys and underrated. I live for moments like this."

2. PLAYOFF G

Giroux's playoff experience manifested itself in three big plays tonight.
Just under six minutes after scoring the game-tying goal to make it 2-2 in the third period, the grizzled veteran set up Barkov with a slick dish for the go-ahead goal that put Florida up 3-2.

Stepping up in overtime, he then made a sweet pass to find Verhaeghe for the game-winner.
"Playoff G," Lomberg said with a smile. "Let's go, baby."
Producing at better than a point-per-game pace after joining the Panthers at the deadline, Giroux has continued that outstanding production in the postseason. Second on the team in scoring, he tallied seven points (four goals, three assists) in the series against the Capitals.
A demon in the dot, he also won 55.4% of his faceoffs in Round 1.
"He's so efficient on faceoffs," Huberdeau said. "He wins all the tough faceoffs and is good in his own zone. He's playing so well right now and playing with confidence. It's good to see that."

3. CAPTAIN CLUTCH

You know it's a good night when Barkov cracks a smile.
Getting beyond the first round of the playoffs in the ninth season of his NHL career, the captain scored a goal and also skated a team-high 26:33 to aid the Panthers during tonight's wild win.

"During my career, nine years here, I haven't been passed the first round," Barkov said, visibly starting to relax a little bit at the post-game podium. "It feels great. But at the same time, I know there's a lot of work to do. Right now I'll enjoy this, but then we'll get back to work tomorrow."
In addition to leading the Panthers with a 56.5% success rate in the faceoff circle in the playoffs, Barkov is third on the team in scoring with six points (two goals, four assists). Coming up big in the biggest game of his career, the Panthers led 3-1 when he was on the ice at 5-on-5 tonight.
"There's been a lot of talk about this and not winning any rounds, getting knocked out in the first round and stuff like that," Barkov said. "Of course you don't think about that, but it's there. It's not there anymore. We're happy about that. But there's still a long way to go to get to the point where we actually want to be. All it takes is a game at a time, shift at a time, period at a time."

4. BOB THE WALL

Win or lose, Bobrovsky was cool, calm and collected for the Panthers all series long.
After making 13 saves in the first period - including six high-danger stops - to keep the Capitals off the board, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner went on to finish with 34 saves in tonight's win.
"This is the best I've probably seen him, being in the moment and dialed in," Brunette said.
Tied for first in the NHL with a franchise-record 39 wins during the regular season, Bobrovsky has started all six games for the Panthers in the playoffs. Although his .906 save percentage in this series was solid, it doesn't properly reflect just how impressive he was in every single game.
Per NaturalStatTrick.com, his 48 high-danger saves are the fourth-most in this year's playoffs.
"He's a great goalie," Huberdeau said of Bobrovsky. "He's playing with confidence. Every game he made good saves to keep us in the game. That's the reason why we won the series."

5. SWAG CITY

Verhaeghe went from being a game-time decision to scoring the game-winning goal.
But with the series he had, would you expect anything else?
Breaking more franchise records than we have time to discuss at this time, the utterly relentless forward capped off his unforgettable first-round showing by beating Samsonov with a backhand shot from the slot in overtime to lock in the 4-3 win and send the Panthers right into Round 2.

"I'm sure they're ecstatic for him," Brunette said when asked about Verhaeghe's post-game reception in the locker room. "They knew he was not at 100%, but he dug in deep and found a way to get it done."
Tied with Edmoton's Connor McDavid for first in NHL playoff scoring with 12 points (six goals, six assists), Verhaeghe notched the game-winning goals for the Panthers in Games 4, 5 and 6, becoming just 12th player in NHL history to score the game-winning goal in three straight tilts.
"He's hot right now," Giroux said. "He's flying out there. I'm lucky enough to play with him."
In addition to netting the only series-winning goal in overtime in the history of the franchise, Verhaeghe's six goals against Washington are the most ever by a Panther in a single series.