5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers 'grind it out' to even series with Capitals

SUNRISE, Fla. -Now these are the Cats that we've grown accustomed to seeing.
Returning to form after dropping Game 1, the high-flying Panthers cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Capitals in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round at FLA Live Arena on Thursday.

"I thought, early on, we weren't as sharp as we want to be, but we grinded it out," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said. "That's a really good building block for our group."
Finding the scoresheet in just his second game back from a long stint on the injured list, Aaron Ekblad opened the scoring for the Panthers when his shot from on top of the right circle clipped off a defender and fluttered right past Vitek Vanecek to make it 1-0 at 16:20 of the first period.
Doubling the lead less than two minutes later, Jonathan Huberdeau, likely earning a spot on SportsCenter's plays of the night, dangled around a defender before passing the puck through the slot to Aleksander Barkov, who then scored from on the doorstep to make it 2-0 at 17:58.
On the power play in the second period, Nicklas Backstrom got the Capitals on the board when he snuck a short-side shot past Sergei Bobrovsky from a sharp angle to make it 2-1 at 2:44. But just 27 seconds after that, Mason Marchment went five-hole on Vanecek to make it 3-1 at 3:11.
Later on, the Panthers killed off a double-minor penalty to tighten their grip on the game.
"We kind of found our rhythm, found our game, and especially after the big kill in the second we really settled our nerves a little bit and got to playing how we want to play," Brunette said of the huge momentum swing in Florida's favor. "I thought we did a lot of good things in that stretch."
Netting the first playoff goal of his career, 20-year-old rookie Anton Lundell increased the lead even further for the Panthers when he finished off a give-and-go sequence with Sam Reinhart by tapping the rubber past Vanecek from right outside the blue paint to make it 4-1 at 15:24.
Riding off that momentum, and with the crowd roaring in the arena, Carter Verhaeghe capped off the high-scoring middle frame for the Panthers when he rifled a blistering wrist shot over Vanecek's glove and into the top corner of the cage from the high slot to make it 5-1 at 17:32.
At the start of the third period, Ilya Samsonov took over for Vanecek in Washington's net.
"Bob kept us in the game in the first, and then we got a couple goals," Lundell said. "We heard the loud [FLA Live Arena] here with the Cats fans. That gave us a lot of confidence and energy to just keep going. It was a good team effort today."
Keeping their foot on the gas, the Panthers outshot the Capitals 17-3 in the third period. Bobrovsky finished with 26 saves, while Samsonov stopped all 17 shots he saw in relief.
With the series evened up at 1-1, the Panthers will now hit the road for Games 3 and 4 against the Capitals at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on Saturday and Monday, respectively.
"I think the third period was good for us," Barkov said of the strong finish. "We tried to keep the momentum. We played in their zone almost the whole period. … We didn't score goals, but we got a lot of shots and kept the momentum. We're happy with that, but Saturday's a new game."
Here are five takeaways from Thursday's win in Sunrise…

1. EK OPENS IT UP

With the Panthers in need of a bounce, Ekblad was there to provide it.
Finding the back of the net in just his second game after a long injury-related absence, the star defenseman broke the ice late in the first period when he fired a point shot toward the cage that took a fortuitous bounce off a defenseman before slowly fluttering past Vanecek to make it 1-0.

"He's doing great," Brunette said of Ekblad's play since getting back in the lineup. "He'll just get better the more he plays. I thought he got better as the game went on. He's a competitive kid. He'll compete and put his best foot forward out there. He's so smart, he'll figure things out."
Setting a new career-high with 57 points (15 goals, 42 assists) during the regular season, Ekblad has hit the ground running since returning. After leading the Panthers in ice time in Game 1, he tallied a goal, two shots on goal and one takeaway while skating 19:13 tonight.
"It was great to get a goal from him," Barkov said. "He's a true warrior."

2. THE DYNAMIC DUO

This is what happens when two superstars team up.
Coming together to create an unforgettable highlight, Huberdeau deftly deked his way around a defender before dishing the puck to Barkov for a tap-in goal to make it 2-0 in the second period.

"He's an unbelievable player," Barkov said of his longtime teammate.
Bouncing back after being held off the scoresheet in Game 1, Barkov (one goal, one assist) and Huberdeau (one assist) combined for three points in Game 2. In the regular season, Huberdeau led the team with a franchise-record 115 points, while Barkov ranked second with 88 of his own.
When they were on the ice together at 5-on-5 tonight, Florida led 2-0 in goals.

3. MILESTONE PUCK

There's no way he's only 20, right?
Taking home a milestone puck, Lundell recorded the first playoff goal of his career when he hammered home a slot pass from Reinhart to put the Panthers up 5-1 in the second period.

"It was really great," Lundell said. "First win, also. That's even bigger. We wanted to get the fresh start today. We know the last game wasn't our best, but today we could play even better."
Entering the playoffs on the heels of a stellar rookie campaign, Lundell produced 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) in 65 games during the regular season. If not for an unfortunate injury, there's a very good chance that he would've broken Florida's single-season rookie points record of 50.
When he was on the ice at 5-on-5 tonight, the Panthers led 10-2 in shots on goal.

4. TURNING THE TIDE

The Panthers trailed 11-6 in shots on goal after the first period.
By the time the final horn sounded, they led 36-27.
"We got better as the game went on," Barkov said. "Bob kept us in the game and gave us a chance to win, and then we kept building. Now the series is even and we're ready to go."
Looking at the chart at NaturalStatTrick.com, there was a sharp spike in Florida's favor near the midway point of the second period. Gaining more momentum as the game went on, Lundell and Verhaeghe's goals near the end of that period essentially killed Washington's comeback hopes.

"I thought our puck battle along the wall got a little better," Brunette said. "I thought our support, as we did all year but didn't really do in the first game, was much better. I thought we were able as the game wore on to wear them out a bit by winning those battles and having possession."
Over the final two periods, Florida led 27-12 in scoring chances at 5-on-5.

5. BOB KEEPS BUILDING

Another game, another stellar showing from No. 72.
After standing on his head with 34 saves in Game 1, Bobrovsky was even better against the Capitals the second time around, turning aside 26 of 27 shots to pick up the win in Game 2.
"It's a good win for us," the two-time Vezina Trophy winner said. "We're back in the series. It's fun hockey, fun to be there and fun to compete with the teammates shoulder to shoulder and go through the thing. It was a great game tonight and we're happy with the win."
Going on a tear toward the end of the regular season to finish tied for first in the NHL with 39 wins, Bobrovsky, including the playoffs, has posted a 14-2-0 record over his last 16 decisions.
"I had a good couple games before getting into the playoffs, so I felt good," Bobrovsky said. "I see the puck well, I track the puck well, and I try to do my best to give the guys a chance to win."