Florida Panthers
St. Louis’ hat trick comes at perfect time
Marty St. Louis picked the perfect way to celebrate his 900th game in the National Hockey League with a quintessential tip of the hat.
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s veteran right wing notched the fifth hat trick of his 11-career tenure with the team and his first since 2006 to power a 6-3 victory over intra-state rival and Southeast Division leading Florida Saturday night at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.
“You play this thing from the beginning and just try to find your way, and to be in the league for that many games, I’m proud of that,” said the 36-year-old undrafted star out of the University of Vermont. “Tough start to get going, but once I got going I really felt that I wanted to be here for a while.”
“I worked hard to be here,” he continued, his three young sons by his side, “and now I get to share these moments with my three boys. There’s nothing like it.”
St. Louis’ heroics came less than two months after being struck in the face by a puck during practice, sustaining several fractures and missing 13 days including what would have been his milestone 500th consecutive regular-season game on the day of the injury.
But there was no denying this landmark. His effort helped give the Lightning (23-23-4) a much-needed win against the best team in the Southeast Division and raise its record to 6-0-1 in the last seven games, renewing the Bolts’ hopes for a second-half run at the playoffs.
“It’s only fitting,” said Lightning head coach Guy Boucher. “It couldn’t have happened on a better night. . (Steven) Stamkos could have shot that; it’s just a tribute to the kind of people we have on our team: real unselfish people; people who care about the group.”
In many respects, the Lightning and Panthers have been polar opposites lately.
While the Lightning soared into the All-Star break with four straight wins following a frustrating opening act in 2011-12, the Panthers stumbled through January with a mark of 2-7 after a stellar start to the season.
Coming out the break early this past week, it was the Cats who got back on track with a pair of victories to regain the division lead over the Washington Capitals while the Lightning watched its five-game winning streak end Thursday at home against Winnipeg in a 2-1 overtime loss.
But Saturday, the state rivals once again found themselves on opposite ends of the spectrum as Tampa Bay short-circuited Florida’s recent surge before an electrified sellout crowd of 19,204.
The first two of St. Louis’ scores came in a four-goal second period, which featured a handful of other noteworthy offensive showings. There was the early tie-breaking goal by team captain Vinny Lecavalier in the pivotal period marking the 12th time in his 13-year career he has reached the 20-goal mark in a season.
The score was knotted 1-1 early in the second when right wing Ryan Shannon forced a turnover. Moments later, Lecavalier flicked a wrist shot over the glove of Florida goalkeeper Scott Clemmensen at the 18:18 mark and the Lightning never lost the lead after that.
Along the way, NHL leading scorer Stamkos scored his 34th goal of the season maintaining his impressive status as the player who has scored more career goals (153) than any active player prior to his 22nd birthday ahead of Sidney Crosby (132), Jaromir Jagr (111), Iyla Kovalchuck (108) and Alex Ovechkin (98).
The Panthers threatened to get back into the game in the closing moments of the second period when ex-Lightning standout Sean Bergenheim a key performer on last season’s playoff team scored to make it 5-3 with 46 seconds remaining. But the Bolts kept the visitors at bay after that, eventually improving to 4-1-1 this season over the Panthers.
“We had a tough second period to say the least,” said Panthers head coach Kevin Dineen. “We got off to a tough start and I think we were our own worst enemy. That was certainly the difference the push they put on in the second period.”
In the process, the Bolts set a season high with six goals Saturday night and have points in seven straight for the first time since 2010. They also finished with nine points against the Panthers, the most they’ve ever accumulated in one season against them. More important, they’re eight points back of Florida with 31 games remaining, plenty of time to make up that ground the way they’re playing.
“It’s a huge two points (to pick up),” said Shannon, who contributed two assists. “We knew they had a game last night so we wanted to wear them down and we did that. And it opened up the way for Marty’s hat trick in his 900th game. And we climbed a couple of more points in the standings.”
“Maybe it’s a little fatigue back to back,” said Florida’s right wing Mikael Samuelsson, whose team defeated Winnipeg 2-1 Friday night. “But we should have been able to make a big push in the third. Still, we had a couple of chances, but they played good.”
In the end, the Lightning outshot the Panthers (24-16-11) 34-20, and Florida goalkeeper Clemmenson was pulled briefly in the explosive second period after allowing five goals on 25 shots (following Nate Thompson’s goal in the first).
Clemmenson was back in the net in the third period when St. Louis notched goal No. 3 for his memorable hat trick, extending his point streak to nine games the longest by a Lightning player this season.
“It was great,” Lecavalier said of his longtime teammate. “He played great tonight; he really battled; he deserves it. He had a great game, he really helped us out and obviously that 900th game makes it that extra special for him.”
But St. Louis didn’t miss a beat when asked about his three boys by his side: “That’s the best hat trick I’ve ever had.”
St. Louis’ hat trick leads Lightning
Martin St. Louis scored three times in his 900th NHL game, Steven Stamkos added his league-leading 34th goal and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 6-3 on Saturday night.
St. Louis got two goals during Tampa Bay’s four-goal second, helping the Lightning take a 5-3 lead entering the third. The right wing, who has six goals and 16 points during a nine-game point streak, completed the hat trick on an empty-netter during the final minute of play.
Nate Thompson and Vincent Lecavalier also scored for the Lightning, who have won six of seven. Lecavalier added three assists.
Florida got goals from Tomas Fleischmann, Mikael Samuelsson and Sean Bergenheim. The Southeast Division-leading Panthers were coming off a 2-1 win over Winnipeg on Friday night.
Stamkos scored on his own rebound to give Tampa Bay a 4-2 lead with 7:24 left in the second. The center has six goals and eight points in six games against Florida this season.
Bergenheim pulled Florida to 5-3 with 46 seconds to go in the second.
Tampa Bay went up 2-1 when Lecavalier scored his 20th goal this season from the high slot at 1:42 of the second. The Lightning captain has reached the 20-goal plateau in 12 consecutive seasons.
St. Louis extended the Lightning advantage to 3-1 when he picked up a loose puck just outside the crease and wrapped a shot around goalie Scott Clemmensen 2:40 after Lecavalier’s goal. St. Louis also scored with 4:52 left in the second off a nifty pass from Lecavalier.
Clemmensen was pulled late in the second after allowing five goals on 25 shots and was replaced by Brian Foster, who made one save over 5 minutes in his NHL debut. Clemmensen returned to start the third.
Samuelsson cut the Florida deficit to 3-2 on the rebound after Mathieu Garon made a strong stop on Bergenheim’s shot from the slot at 7:06 of the second.
Thompson put the Lightning ahead 1-0 during a 2-on-1 just 1:37 into the game. Florida tied it 1-all when Fleischmann scored from the right circle at 3:54 of the first off an backhand pass from the boards by Kris Versteeg.
Notes: This was the final game of the season series in which the Lightning went 4-1-1 … Samuelsson has four goals and five points during a four-game point streak. … Tampa Bay LW Ryan Malone, who has missed four games due to an undisclosed upper-body injury, has resumed skating.
Lightning 6, Panthers 3
Martin St. Louis scored three times in his 900th NHL game, Steven Stamkos added his league-leading 34th goal and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 6-3 on Saturday night.
St. Louis got two goals during Tampa Bay’s four-goal second, helping the Lightning take a 5-3 lead entering the third. The right wing, who has six goals and 16 points during a nine-game point streak, completed the hat trick on an empty-netter during the final minute of play.
Nate Thompson and Vincent Lecavalier also scored for the Lightning, who have won six of seven. Lecavalier added three assists.
Florida got goals from Tomas Fleischmann, Mikael Samuelsson and Sean Bergenheim. The Southeast Division-leading Panthers were coming off a 2-1 win over Winnipeg on Friday night.
Stamkos scored on his own rebound to give Tampa Bay a 4-2 lead with 7:24 left in the second. The center has six goals and eight points in six games against Florida this season.
Bergenheim pulled Florida to 5-3 with 46 seconds to go in the second.
Tampa Bay went up 2-1 when Lecavalier scored his 20th goal this season from the high slot at 1:42 of the second. The Lightning captain has reached the 20-goal plateau in 12 consecutive seasons.
St. Louis extended the Lightning advantage to 3-1 when he picked up a loose puck just outside the crease and wrapped a shot around goalie Scott Clemmensen 2:40 after Lecavalier’s goal. St. Louis also scored with 4:52 left in the second off a nifty pass from Lecavalier.
Clemmensen was pulled late in the second after allowing five goals on 25 shots and was replaced by Brian Foster, who made one save over 5 minutes in his NHL debut. Clemmensen returned to start the third.
Samuelsson cut the Florida deficit to 3-2 on the rebound after Mathieu Garon made a strong stop on Bergenheim’s shot from the slot at 7:06 of the second.
Thompson put the Lightning ahead 1-0 during a 2-on-1 just 1:37 into the game. Florida tied it 1-all when Fleischmann scored from the right circle at 3:54 of the first off an backhand pass from the boards by Kris Versteeg.
Notes: This was the final game of the season series in which the Lightning went 4-1-1 … Samuelsson has four goals and five points during a four-game point streak. … Tampa Bay LW Ryan Malone, who has missed four games due to an undisclosed upper-body injury, has resumed skating.
St. Louis’ hat trick helps Lightning top Panthers
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Martin St. Louis scored three times in his 900th NHL game, Steven Stamkos added his league-leading 34th goal and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 6-3 on Saturday night.
St. Louis got two goals during Tampa Bay’s four-goal second, helping the Lightning take a 5-3 lead entering the third. The right wing, who has six goals and 16 points during a nine-game point streak, completed the hat trick on an empty-netter during the final minute of play.
Nate Thompson and Vincent Lecavalier also scored for the Lightning, who have won six of seven. Lecavalier added three assists.
Florida got goals from Tomas Fleischmann, Mikael Samuelsson and Sean Bergenheim. The Southeast Division-leading Panthers were coming off a 2-1 win over Winnipeg on Friday night.
Stamkos scored on his own rebound to give Tampa Bay a 4-2 lead with 7:24 left in the second. The center has six goals and eight points in six games against Florida this season.
Bergenheim pulled Florida to 5-3 with 46 seconds to go in the second.
Tampa Bay went up 2-1 when Lecavalier scored his 20th goal this season from the high slot at 1:42 of the second. The Lightning captain has reached the 20-goal plateau in 12 consecutive seasons.
St. Louis extended the Lightning advantage to 3-1 when he picked up a loose puck just outside the crease and wrapped a shot around goalie Scott Clemmensen 2:40 after Lecavalier’s goal. St. Louis also scored with 4:52 left in the second off a nifty pass from Lecavalier.
Clemmensen was pulled late in the second after allowing five goals on 25 shots and was replaced by Brian Foster, who made one save over 5 minutes in his NHL debut. Clemmensen returned to start the third.
Samuelsson cut the Florida deficit to 3-2 on the rebound after Mathieu Garon made a strong stop on Bergenheim’s shot from the slot at 7:06 of the second.
Thompson put the Lightning ahead 1-0 during a 2-on-1 just 1:37 into the game. Florida tied it 1-all when Fleischmann scored from the right circle at 3:54 of the first off an backhand pass from the boards by Kris Versteeg.
NOTES: This was the final game of the season series in which the Lightning went 4-1-1 … Samuelsson has four goals and five points during a four-game point streak. … Tampa Bay LW Ryan Malone, who has missed four games due to an undisclosed upper-body injury, has resumed skating.
Jets’ scoring woes creating frustation
SUNRISE, Fla. — The lack of offense by the Winnipeg Jets, again evident in a 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on Friday night, has been a concern for most of the season. Now after the Jets wasted a chance to get to within one point of first place in the Southeast Division, it’s starting to show on head coach Claude Noel.”Alright, the comment on the game for me is, I don’t think our team right now can’t give up 20 minutes of free friggin’ play and expect to be able to win the game,” said Noel, who cut right to the chase before the media could get in its first question. “And don’t ask me the same dumb question again, ‘Are you concerned about the one goals?’ Do I like the one goal we get every game? No. Would I like to see it change? Yes. Do I coach that way? No.”That’s what we have, but there’s still a way to win the games. If we had played the first 20 minutes, there’s the one goal they got, there’s the difference and i…
Panthers edge Jets, 2-1
Sean Bergenheim scored the go-ahead goal in the second period Friday night as the Florida Panthers recorded a 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.
Kris Versteeg also scored a goal for Florida, while Scott Clemmensen stopped 20 shots.
Bryan Little scored for Winnipeg, and Chris Mason made 28 saves.
Winnipeg lost for the ninth straight time when playing the second of consecutive games. The Jets have been shut out twice and outscored 36-7 in those.
The Jets tied the game 1-1 on Little’s goal at 11:29 of the second. Little grabbed a loose puck and fired a wrist shot from the left circle between Clemmensen’s pads.
But Florida regained the lead about three minutes later. Marcel Goc passed the puck from behind the net to Bergenheim, who was waiting in front of the crease. His wrister got past Mason at 14:27.
The Panthers had taken a 1-0 lead on Versteeg’s power-play goal in the first period. Versteeg took a pass from Mikael Samuelsson at the left circle, and his slap shot got between Mason’s right skate and the post at 15:46, for his team-leading 20th goal of the season.
Versteeg now has six goals and two assists in the past three games against Winnipeg. He returned to the lineup after missing Wednesday’s game against the Capitals with the flu.
Panthers 2, Jets 1
Sean Bergenheim scored a go-ahead goal in the second period and the Florida Panthers beat the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 Friday night.
Kris Versteeg also scored a goal for Florida, while Scott Clemmensen stopped 20 shots.
Bryan Little scored for Winnipeg and Chris Mason made 28 saves.
Winnipeg lost for the ninth straight time when playing the second of consecutive games. The Jets are have been shut out twice and outscored 36-7 in those.
The Jets tied it at 1 on Little’s goal in the second. Little grabbed a loose puck and took a wrist shot from the left circle. The puck went between Clemmensen’s pads at 11:29.
Florida regained the lead about three minutes later. Marcel Goc passed the puck from behind the net to Bergenheim, who was waiting in front of the crease. His wrister got past Mason at 14:27.
The Panthers took a 1-0 lead on Versteeg’s power-play goal in the first period. Versteeg took a pass from Mikael Samuelsson at the left circle. His slap shot got between Mason’s right skate and the post at 15:46, for his team-leading 20th goal of the season. Versteeg now has six goals and two assists in the past three games against Winnipeg. Versteeg returned to the lineup after missing Wednesday’s game against the Capitals with the flu.
NOTES: Winnipeg D Dustin Byfuglien played in his second consecutive game since missing 16 games due to a knee injury. … Florida W Marco Sturm, who missed 14 games before returning to the lineup last Wednesday, is out with a lower body injury. … Samuelsson has a three-game points streak.
Bergenheim lifts Panthers over Jets
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Sean Bergenheim scored a go-ahead goal in the second period and the Florida Panthers beat the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 Friday night.
Kris Versteeg also scored a goal for Florida, while Scott Clemmensen stopped 20 shots.
Bryan Little scored for Winnipeg and Chris Mason made 28 saves.
Winnipeg lost for the ninth straight time when playing the second of consecutive games. The Jets are have been shut out twice and outscored 36-7 in those.
The Jets tied it at 1 on Little’s goal in the second. Little grabbed a loose puck and took a wrist shot from the left circle. The puck went between Clemmensen’s pads at 11:29.
Florida regained the lead about three minutes later. Marcel Goc passed the puck from behind the net to Bergenheim, who was waiting in front of the crease. His wrister got past Mason at 14:27.
The Panthers took a 1-0 lead on Versteeg’s power-play goal in the first period. Versteeg took a pass from Mikael Samuelsson at the left circle. His slap shot got between Mason’s right skate and the post at 15:46, for his team-leading 20th goal of the season. Versteeg now has six goals and two assists in the past three games against Winnipeg. Versteeg returned to the lineup after missing Wednesday’s game against the Capitals with the flu.
NOTES: Winnipeg D Dustin Byfuglien played in his second consecutive game since missing 16 games due to a knee injury. … Florida W Marco Sturm, who missed 14 games before returning to the lineup last Wednesday, is out with a lower body injury. … Samuelsson has a three-game points streak.
Panthers look to expand division lead, face Jets
Tune into FOX Sports Florida at 7 p.m. to watch the Florida Panthers take on the Winnipeg Jets. NHL Panthers territory.
The Florida Panthers returned from the All-Star break to reclaim the Southeast Division lead.
Now, the Panthers will try to expand it by beating the Winnipeg Jets for the second time in less than two weeks Friday night when the division rivals meet at BankAtlantic Center.
The Panthers (23-15-11) returned from a week off Wednesday, and showed little rust in a 4-2 win over Washington, moving ahead of the Capitals in the division race.
Florida, 12-5-7 at home, leads the Southeast by one point over Washington and is three ahead of third-place Winnipeg (24-22-6).
“It’s good to start off on a good note after a little break here, coming back,” right wing Mikael Samuelsson said. “At the same time, we have to concentrate on the next game pretty much right away because it’s so tight and we need the wins.”
Samuelsson has provided unexpected offensive punch for the Panthers, scoring three goals in two games after netting two against the Capitals. He also scored the decisive shootout attempt in the seventh round of a 4-3 win at Winnipeg on Jan. 21.
Five of the past six games against the WinnipegAtlanta franchise have gone beyond regulation, and Florida is 3-0-3 in that stretch – 2-0-1 this season.
Kris Versteeg has five goals and two assists in the last two meetings with Winnipeg, leading the Panthers to wins in both. That includes two goals and one assist versus the division rival two weeks ago.
The left wing’s status, however, is in question after flu-like symptoms sidelined him Wednesday. Another absence would leave Florida without its leading scorer, who has 19 goals and 43 points. He’s two goals shy of his total from last season with Toronto and Philadelphia, and three off his career high set with Chicago in 2008-09.
Tomas Fleischmann might help pick up the scoring slack if Versteeg isn’t available. The left wing had two assists Wednesday after scoring a goal in a 3-2 shootout loss to Philadelphia on Jan. 24 before heading into the All-Star break.
Fleischmann was limited to one shot by the Jets on Jan. 21 after getting three goals and four assists in the previous three meetings dating to a win at Atlanta on Dec. 10, 2010.
Winnipeg may be prepared if another matchup with the Panthers going beyond regulation after winning its last two games in that fashion.
The Jets beat Tampa Bay 2-1 in overtime Thursday, two days after a shootout victory by the same score at Philadelphia.
“We had a lot of energy, and I think we were willing to play 65 minutes if we needed to, plus a shootout if it had to go that far,” said right wing Blake Wheeler, who scored in the second period and assisted on Kyle Wellwood’s goal 3:14 into overtime Thursday. “I think we’re just dedicated right now.”
Winnipeg has split the first four games of this stretch of six in a row on the road, and is in position for its first three-game winning streak as the visitor since Dec. 4-13, 2010.
Nik Antropov has three goals and four assists in the past seven games, netting two of those goals against the Panthers last month. The center added two assists in the other two season meetings, including one in a 4-3 shootout victory in Florida on Oct. 31.
Antropov has scored only one of his eight goals on the road.
The Jets conclude their road stretch at Montreal on Sunday.
Samuelsson strikes twice from long range to spark Panthers
Mikael Samuelsson scored a pair of long-range goals as the Florida Panthers reclaimed first place in the Southeast Division with a 4-2 home victory over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.
Stephen Weiss and Shawn Matthias also tallied while Tomas Fleischmann recorded a pair of assists for Florida, which halted a three-game home losing streak and moved one point ahead of Washington for the division lead.
The Capitals fell to 0-1-1 on their three-game road trip as superstar Alex Ovechkin served the final game of his three-game suspension.
After a scoreless first period, Samuelsson gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead just 33 seconds into the middle session with a fluke goal.
The veteran threw the puck toward the net from along the right-wing boards in the neutral zone, and it banked off the left post and in for his fourth tally of the season and second in as many games.
Samuelsson With Another Head-Scratcher From Center Ice
It’s rare that a goal is scored from center ice, well, at least it’s rare when there’s a GOALIE in the net, that is. Earlier tonight, Florida’s Mikael Samuelsson broke a scoreless game with a wrister from the red line; giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead, and Washington’s Michal Neuvirth shame. This comes on the heels of Dennis Seidenberg’s blast that ripped by Craig Anderson just last night.
Samuelsson added another tally on the night, which actually came while in the offensive zone.
Maybe the NHL just found its newest competition to add to the Skills Competition on All-Star weekend…
Which blooper do you think was less embarrassing more impressive? Seidenberg or Samuelsson’s? Let Us know in the comments!
Samuelsson scores two goals in win
Mikael Samuelsson had two goals and the Florida Panthers beat the Washington Capitals 4-2 on Wednesday night.
Stephen Weiss and Shawn Matthias also scored for Florida, and Scott Clemmensen stopped 26 shots. Tomas Fleischmann had a pair of assists for the Panthers, who moved into first place in the Southeast Division – one point ahead of Washington.
Brooks Laich and John Carlson scored for the Capitals, and Michal Neuvirth had 35 saves.
Samuelsson’s second goal came during a power play and gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead. Samuelsson got the puck in the high slot and wristed it past Neuvirth at 4:57 of the third for his first multi-goal game since Feb. 12 at Vancouver.
Weiss scored at 9:52 of the third to give the Panthers a 3-1 lead. Weiss pushed the puck toward the net with his stick but Neuvirth blocked the shot. The puck went up in the air, then bounced off Weiss’s upper body and crossed the goal line just before Weiss fell into the net. The goal was initially disallowed, then awarded after a lengthy review.
Carlson’s goal came with 2:11 to go on a shot from the high slot that got past Clemmensen on the glove side to pull Washington to 3-2.
Matthias sealed it on an empty-netter with 52 seconds remaining.
The Capitals tied it at 1 in the second. Laich brought the puck out from behind the net to the left circle. His wrist shot went over Clemmensen’s left shoulder and into the net with 9:45 left in the period.
The Panthers took a 1-0 lead just 33 seconds into the second. Samuelsson took a wrist shot from outside the blue line that hit the right post and caromed into the net.
Notes: Washington LW Alex Ovechkin served the last of a three-game suspension. Ovechkin is eligible to return Saturday at Montreal. . . . Washington D Jeff Schultz played after being a healthy scratch the past 12 games and in 20 of the past 22. . . . Florida RW Kris Versteeg missed the game with flu-like symptoms. . . . Florida LW Marco Sturm returned to the lineup after missing 14 games with an upper-body injury. . . Florida called up G Brian Foster from San Antonio of the AHL to back up Clemmensen while Jose Theodore rests his knee, injured on Dec. 31 at Montreal. . . . Florida RW Scottie Upshall is having sports hernia surgery and will miss at least a month.
Three 3rd period goals lift Panthers over Caps
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Mikael Samuelsson had two goals and the Florida Panthers beat the Washington Capitals 4-2 on Wednesday night.
Stephen Weiss and Shawn Matthias also scored for Florida, and Scott Clemmensen stopped 26 shots. Tomas Fleischmann had a pair of assists for the Panthers, who moved into first place in the Southeast Division — one point ahead of Washington.
Brooks Laich and John Carlson scored for the Capitals, and Michal Neuvirth had 35 saves.
Samuelsson’s second goal came during a power play and gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead. Samuelsson got the puck in the high slot and wristed it past Neuvirth at 4:57 of the third for his first multi-goal game since Feb. 12, 2011, at Vancouver.
Weiss scored at 9:52 of the third to give the Panthers a 3-1 lead. Weiss pushed the puck toward the net with his stick but Neuvirth blocked the shot. The puck went up in the air, then bounced off Weiss’s upper body and crossed the goal line just before Weiss fell into the net. The goal was initially disallowed, then awarded after a lengthy review.
Carlson’s goal came with 2:11 to go on a shot from the high slot that got past Clemmensen on the glove side to pull Washington to 3-2.
Matthias sealed it on an empty-netter with 52 seconds remaining.
The Capitals tied it at 1 in the second. Laich brought the puck out from behind the net to the left circle. His wrist shot went over Clemmensen’s left shoulder and into the net with 9:45 left in the period.
The Panthers took a 1-0 lead just 33 seconds into the second. Samuelsson took a wrist shot from outside the blue line that hit the right post and caromed into the net.
NOTES: Washington LW Alex Ovechkin served the last of a three-game suspension. Ovechkin is eligible to return Saturday at Montreal. … Washington D Jeff Schultz played after being a healthy scratch the past 12 games and in 20 of the past 22. … Florida RW Kris Versteeg missed the game with flu-like symptoms. … Florida LW Marco Sturm returned to the lineup after missing 14 games with an upper-body injury. … Florida called up G Brian Foster from San Antonio of the AHL to back up Clemmensen while Jose Theodore rests his knee, injured on Dec. 31 at Montreal. … Florida RW Scottie Upshall is having sports hernia surgery and will miss at least a month.
Panthers face Caps in division showdown
Tune into FOX Sports Florida at 7:30 p.m. to watch the Florida Panthers take on the Washington Capitals. NHL Panthers territory.
Despite a gritty effort, the road-weary Washington Capitals let one slip away in their first game back following All-Star weekend.
They’re all but certain to have another hard-fought battle during Wednesday night’s matchup with the Florida Panthers.
With superstar Alex Ovechkin serving the last of a three-game suspension, the visiting Capitals square off against the Panthers with first place in the Southeast Division on the line.
Thanks in large part to Mathieu Perreault’s first career hat trick, Washington (26-19-4) didn’t miss a beat without Ovechkin during a 5-3 win over Boston right before the break. It was a different story Tuesday, however, when the Capitals dropped to 4-10-3 over their last 17 road games with a 4-3 overtime loss at Tampa Bay.
Washington rallied from a two-goal deficit over the second and third periods, but its power play went 0 for 3 — the sixth time in seven games it has failed to score with the man advantage.
“For sure it’s different when usually your power play (centers) around (Ovechkin) and then he’s not there,” Perreault said. “We gotta try to do different things. We didn’t get much going tonight, we gotta get better at it.”
Unfortunately for the Capitals, there isn’t much time to regroup as they head into Wednesday’s showdown with the Panthers (22-15-11). With 56 points, Washington leads Florida by one in the Southeast.
“We just roll tonight into (Wednesday). Pretty much, you leave this game here tonight,” center Brooks Laich said. “We have a big opponent (Wednesday), big game (Wednesday) – they’re sitting there resting tonight waiting for us to come in, so we gotta roll this effort right into (Wednesday) night.”
With seven days off between games, the Panthers are hoping to put a disappointing 1-2-3 stretch behind them.
Florida failed to carry any momentum into the break, suffering a 3-2 shootout loss to Philadelphia on Jan. 24. Scott Clemmensen made 35 saves, but the Panthers dropped to 3-6 in shootouts and 4-11 in games going beyond regulation.
“It was a close game but it ticks you off when you lose. We have to find ways to win those again,” forward Kris Versteeg told the team’s official website. “You can’t be throwing away so many points. We have to find a way.”
While Clemmensen has seen more action of late with Jose Theodore dealing with a strained right MCL, Theodore remains No. 1 on the depth chart and could start in goal.
Not yet fully recovered from his injury, Theodore has gone 0-1-1 with a 3.43 goals-against average in two road games since sitting out the first two-plus weeks of January. Theodore, though, is 6-1-2 with a 2.03 GAA over his last 11 games at BankAtlantic Center.
Leading the team with 43 points, Versteeg missed his second straight practice with flu-like symptoms Tuesday and is considered a game-time decision.
Left wing Marco Sturm (concussion), meanwhile, could make his return to the ice following a 14-game absence.
Washington’s Tomas Vokoun turned away 27 shots Tuesday, dropping to 0-3-1 with a 4.06 GAA over his last four road contests.
Vokoun, who spent the previous four seasons with the Panthers, could make his first start at Florida since signing with the Capitals in the offseason. He posted a 20-save shutout against his former team at home Oct. 18.
Ovechkin is eligible to return Saturday when the Capitals conclude a three-game trip at Montreal. He was suspended for a hit on Pittsburgh’s Zbynek Michalek in a 4-3 overtime loss Jan. 22.
Florida Panthers – The long and winding road
Since we are in the All Star Weekend and no regular hockey games are happening this is a good time to say this team has had an unbelievable year so far. I for one am hoping this dream voyage continues on an escalating trend.
Now is also a good time to take a look at where the team is at, what lies ahead and who has given the Cats problems so far. I’ll also give my opinion as to what the Panthers need to do going forward if they are to go far in their playoff runs.
The Panthers are currently in second place in the Southeast division behind the Washington Capitals. They each have 55 points but the Caps lead due to more games won. They are 7th in the Eastern Conference standings at (22-15-11) record and 14th overall in the NHL.
They are coming off of a very bad January where they lost ground to the Capitals. They only played 9 games the entire month but came out of January with a 2-3-4 record. Luckily they were able to salvage some points in their 4 outings to OT but coming away with…
