The Washington Capitals looked like they were going to down the Florida Panthers in Sunrise for the second time this season, but alas the final moments of the third period changed that in a blink of an eye as the boys fell 3-2 after 60 minutes. It was a game in which the Caps finish left a lot to be desired and a few key defensive lapses cost them two points.
The Caps out-shot the Panthers 35 to 33 and out-attempted them at five-on-five 49 to 42.
- Andre Burakovsky‘s third goal in six games (second point on the night) made the game 2-1 in favor of the Caps at almost exactly the halfway mark of the second period. The Caps held that lead until there was 3:42 left in the third and within that 3:42 the Panthers struck twice to completely flip what was a good Capitals effort until that point. Individual defensive miscues and inability to add to a one goal lead became the stories of the game.
- New addition to the blueline, Michal Kempny made his Capitals debut. I thought him not really ever playing the right side of the defense and learning the Caps defensive zone coverage on the fly showed in the two Panthers goals that he was on the ice for. However, at the same time I thought he showed exactly why the Caps traded for him. Smooth skater, good first pass, and looks like he can carry the puck from zone to zone. In terms of numbers, Kempny, in his 13:30 of ice time five-on-five, actually led all Caps defensemen in shot attempt percentage (60.6 percent), shot percentage (65 percent), and high danger chance for percentage (75 percent). He was on the ice for six five-on-five Caps high danger chances, most on the team.
- Lars Eller is now on a goal scoring streak and his 13th goal of the season actually marked the first time he has ever scored more than 30 points in the NHL. That late game interference penalty is going to mar all of that though as it led directly to this Panthers win.
- Both Nicklas Backstrom and Brett Connolly received ten minute misconducts at the end of regulation. I have no idea why, but I assume the Caps were unhappy about the officiating in the third period. Backstrom receiving a ten minute misconduct seems strange to me because it’s very out of character and I think indicates that the refs were probably hearing from both teams all night and one wrong word was going to earn you a misconduct.
- I thought Braden Holtby had a nice night in the cage. He stopped 30 shots and a few of those saves were of the spectacular variety. His play has dipped over the past few games, so this was a good sign in my eyes. It would be nice if his teammates could crack down on the amount of one-on-one chances he has to see every night.
- The first Panthers goal scorer is named Maxim Mamin. That’s easily like a top-20 NHL name. Cant wait until Bode Wilde and Jett Woo get drafted this summer.
Numbers thanks to Hockey-reference.com, Hockeystats.ca, NaturalStatTrick.com, and Corsica.hockey.
Full RMNB Coverage of Caps at Panthers
Headline photo: Eliot J. Schechter
