5 TAKEAWAYS: Verhaeghe makes history as Cats rally past Caps in Game 5

SUNRISE, Fla. - After netting two goals - including the game-winner in Game 4 - Carter Verhaeghe was not named a star of the game by local media in Washington on Monday.
Like fellow No. 23 Michael Jordan, I guess he took that personally.
Racking up a franchise-record five points, Verhaeghe notched two goals and three assists to help the Panthers erase an early 3-0 deficit to come from behind and secure a 5-3 win over the Capitals in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round at FLA Live Arena on Wednesday.

Heading back to Washington for Game 6, Florida is now up 3-2 in the best-of-7 series. "Back-to-back games like that," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said of Verhaeghe's historic performance.
"Five points, a big part of every goal and every play we made. It takes everybody to step up, and it was his turn the last few games. Hopefully he keeps it rolling. We talked about how vital he is to the way we play, and he was relentless all night."
Netting his third power-play goal of the series, T.J. Oshie put the Capitals up 1-0 when he tipped a point shot from John Carlson past Sergei Bobrovsky just 7:09 into the first period. With 5:16 left in the period, Anton Lundell appeared to tie it up, but the goal came after the whistle had blown.
Taking advantage of a miscue in the defensive zone, Justin Schultz pounced on a loose puck in the slot and scored to extend Washington's lead to 2-0 at 2:13 of the second period. Less than two minutes later, Oshie roofed a shot past Bobrovsky on a 2-on-1 rush to make it 3-0 at 3:38.
That's when the "Swagu Show" started.
Getting the Panthers on the board, Verhaeghe followed a bouncing puck off the boards and sent it past Ilya Samsonov from a difficult angle to make it 3-1 at 6:50. Soon after, Verhaeghe sauced the rubber across the ice to set up Patric Hornqvist for a breakaway goal to make it 3-2 at 12:27.

Finding the game-tying goal for the second straight game, Sam Reinhart, after Verhaeghe was stopped by Samsonov, jammed the puck into the net from the doorstep to make it 3-3 at 14:41.
"We kind of took over in the second," Verhaeghe said. "We were making plays and playing the right way. We were moving our feet and getting pucks on net. That's what happens when we play our way."
Putting the Panthers up with what would go on to hold up as the game-winning goal 3:04 into the third period, Verhaeghe flew straight down the slot before deftly directing a pinpoint pass in transition from Aleksander Barkov past Samsonov and into the twine to suddenly make it 4-3.
Adding one last exclamation point to excite the sellout crowd of 20,023, Claude Giroux took a pass from Verhaeghe before making a few quick dekes and scoring off his forehand from in front to essentially put the game away and give the Cats a 5-3 lead with 4:05 left on the clock.
"Sometimes that's what happens," Verhaeghe said of current hot streak. "Guys were making good plays. I'm the guy right now, but hopefully someone else will be the guy next game."
With two chances to put the series to bed, the Panthers are now looking ahead to Game 6.
"That's our goal, to finish it off," Barkov said. "Doing it the right way, playing the right way, playing the way we played most of this game and most of the last game. Right now, just get some rest and be ready for the next game."
Here are five takeaways from Wednesday's win in Sunrise…

1. MAKING HISTORY

Verhaeghe admits his phone has been blowing up a bit the last few days.
Well deserved.
By notching three goals and two assists in Game 5, the renowned puck hound broke a tie with Panthers legend Ray Sheppard for the most points in a single playoff game in franchise history.
"Things are going pretty well right now for me," said Verhaeghe, master of the understatement.

Making a dent on the scoresheet in four of five games in the series, Verhaeghe has racked up a team-leading 10 points (five goals, five assists). At the time of this writing, that point total places him tied with Colorado's Cale Makar for the most points by any player in this year's postseason.
"He's been the best player on the ice these [last] two games," Hornqvist said. "With his speed and taking pucks to the net and making it hard for their D, that's exactly what we need him to do. He's been stepping up huge for us. Those goals tonight couldn't come at a better time."
Verhaeghe's five goals are the most in single playoff series in franchise history.

2. ON THE BREAK

This was the moment you really felt the tide starting to turn.
After Verhaeghe broke through to cut Florida's deficit down to 3-1, Hornqvist skated in all alone before lifting a shot over Samsonov's glove on a breakaway to make it 3-2 in the second period.
"After that first goal, I think we took over," Hornqvist said.

Skating in his 101st career playoff game, Hornqvist, who helped the Penguins capture back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, has been nothing short of a force for the Panthers in this series thus far, amassing one goal and 14 hits while getting under Washington's collective skin. Florida's "Corsi King" in Game 5, the Cats also led 10-4 in shot attempts when he was deployed at 5-on-5, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
"You just get one goal and it builds a little momentum," Verhaeghe said. "Guys start to get going and feeling more confident, especially in our home building here. We're so good at home."

3. HE DID IT AGAIN

Reinhart is developing a knack for coming up in the clutch.
Roughly 48 hours after helping force overtime with a late goal in Game 4, the versatile forward got things all square again in Game 5 when he crashed the net and poked in a loose puck from right around the blue paint to bring the score to 3-3 late in the second period of tonight's victory.

Between the regular season and playoffs, the notorious "Comeback Cats" have now earned six three-goal comeback wins throughout 2021-22, which are the most by any team in NHL history.
"We've been doing that all year," Barkov said. "We never give up. There's no quit in our room. We know when we play the right way, we'll have all the chances to win the game. Even though it was 3-0, I think we played some good hockey, had some good chances and had some shots."
After reaching a new career-high with 82 points (33 goals, 49 assists) during the regular season, Reinhart, who made his long-awaited playoff debut in Game 1, has really been ramping up his play throughout the postseason while producing two goals and one assist through five games.

4. DIAL G FOR GOAL

This was about the time fans started to realize the win was pretty much locked in.
Showing off some nifty stickwork, Giroux extended the lead to 5-3 with a little over four minutes left in regulation when he took a pass from Verhaeghe, made a few quick dekes, and then sent the puck past a sprawled-out Samsonov to set the goal horn off and bring the crowd to its feet.

"Unbelievable," Barkov said of the support the Panthers received from the fans tonight. "There's no other place that I'd rather be right now than this building. Huge thank you to the fans."
Doing exactly what the Panthers thought he would do when they acquired him from the Flyers at the trade deadline, Giroux has notched four points (two goals, two assists) in five playoff games thus far. He's also won 55.6% of his faceoffs, including seven key wins in the circle in Game 5.
Always very strong in the possession game, the Panthers also owned big advantages in shot attempts (19-10), shots on goal (14-7) and goals (3-0) when he was on the ice at 5-on-5 tonight.
"G's goal was pretty special, to have that much poise," Brunette said.

5. BOB AND THE BACK END

It was a strong showing from both Bobrovsky and the defense in Game 5.
While Bobrovsky turned aside 30 shots to pick up the win, the defense in front of him limited the Capitals to just 38 shot attempts at 5-on-5, including just 12 in the final frame to close things out.
In terms of individuals, MacKenzie Weegar led all defenders with a +5 rating, while Ben Chiarot made a potentially game-saving stick save on a late wrap-around to keep Florida's lead at 4-3.
"Weegs and [Gustav Forsling] and that group of defense buttoned it down," Brunette said. "Bob made some big saves when he had to. I think everybody contributed."
Of Bobrovsky's saves, 10 were considered high-danger by NaturalStatTrick.com.
"We know what kind of goalie he is," Barkov said. "He's been everything for us. He gives us a chance every night. His battle level and the way he's playing, it gets the boys going."