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Cat scratched: Panthers beat Caps 6-5 (SO)

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The Florida Panthers entered Friday night looking for their first victory of the season and oh boy did they sure come out of the gate firing. The Capitals got ambushed in the first period for four goals against, but they weren’t out of this one just yet.

The Panthers scored about 568 goals in the first period, sandwiched around a strike by John Carlson. Snakebitten Brett Connolly and Jakub Vrana would pull the home side closer with a goal apiece in the second. DSP tied things up shortly after, but Jonathan Huberdeau struck on a two man advantage to restore the Floridian lead.

Very late strike from Nicklas Backstrom to take this thing to OT. Shootout bullets time!

  • Oshie put the biscuit in the basket.
  • Barkov put the biscuit in the basket.
  • Kuznetsov put the biscuit in the basket.
  • Bjugstad did not put the biscuit in the basket.
  • Ovechkin did not put the biscuit in the basket.
  • Trocheck put the biscuit in the basket.
  • Backstrom did not put the biscuit in the basket.
  • Huberdeau put the biscuit in the basket.

Panthers beat Caps 6-5.

  • The Caps tied the game at one with 4:32 left in the first frame and said frame ended with the Panthers up 4 to 1. That’s a pretty prolific defensive collapse. Poor Braden Holtby was pulled after only twenty minutes in favor of Pheonix Copley who was pretty damn good in relief.
  • Maybe this will help, although he was rooting for the Cats:

  • John Carlson did not deserve to win the Norris Trophy last season, but he does already have ten points on the season so far. Lets try and work on limiting some opposition chances next.
  • The Panthers power play was 1 for 16 on the season before they struck only seconds into their second opportunity of the night. They were due, but the Caps penalty kill has had quite the worrying start to the year. This was the fourth straight game in which they have allowed at least one opposing power play goal, and the fifth of seven games in which they’ve done so overall.
  • Brett Connolly still does not have the hang of this fist bump thing. After missing Evgeny Kuznetsov last season Conno has done it yet again, but this time poor, young Jakub Vrana was on the receiving end.
  • Evgeny Kuznetsov was handed a two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for offending a linesman after being thrown out of an offensive zone faceoff. Kuzy’s english vocabulary isn’t exactly extensive, so methinks said linesman needs to grow some thicker skin. It’s the NHL, boss.
  • Tonight’s officiating overall was…interesting to say the least.

  • This was the best game of the season so far from the bottom six as they got on the score sheet and drove play in a positive manner. More on that specifically in tomorrow’s number post.
  • I personally thought Andre Burakovsky worked really hard tonight. The bounces are just all against him right now.
  • Denis Malgin is like one letter away from not being one of the 100 greatest NHL players of all time.
  • Ovi lit Aleks Barkov up with a huge, clean hit. The Panthers got upset, because hockey.
  • Shootouts suck.

The Caps head out west for a road trip next and we’ll see you back here for the start of that trip, Monday in Vancouver.

Full RMNB Coverage of Caps vs Panthers

Headline photo: Patrick McDermott

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