Caps 6, Panthers 2
The most lopsided win of the year for Washington. It led 6-0 by the middle of the third period and had two goals and two assists from forward Alex Semin – playing his first game since Nov. 14 thanks to a wrist injury. It was no contest – and the fans got free Glory Days wings coupons thanks to the six goals, which is nice.
“Well, it was my first game after injury and it’s always difficult to come back and play your first game,” said Semin, who has 11 goals in 19 games. “But the team played well and they helped me get back to my game. And I really didn’t think about it being the first game without [suspended winger Alex Ovechkin]. I’m just glad to be back.”
Brendan Morrisonn said the Caps played a real strong 56 minutes or so. Only a late letdown and a pair of Florida goals cut into the party. Washington scored three power-play goals for the first time all season. Goalie Semyon Varlamov is now 11-1-2 and has the best winning percentage in the league so far. The Caps also set a season-high in shots (44) and had most shots in a period (18 in the first). Final shot count? 44-28, the largest margin of the season.
Tomas Fleischmann scored goal No. 8 – his first since Nov. 14, a drought of eight games. Forward Eric Fehr extended his career-best point streak to five games with an assist on Fleischmann’s goal. Fehr has six goals and five assists with a +7 rating since returning from injury 12 games ago. Forward Matt Bradley also matched his season goal total last year (5) with his fifth of this season – a shorthanded tally at 2:45 of the second that was a soft wrister from just inside the blueline.
“It was a lucky goal. But it makes up for the ones you should have scored that don’t go in,” Bradley said. “I’ll take it.”
Nicklas Backstrom scored goal No. 7 on a 5-on-3 power play. He now has five points in three games. Brooks Laich had two assists – his seventh multi-point game of the year. As for the flip out by Florida’s Mike Durco in the third period? We’ll let him try to explain that one. He went after Caps forward Alexandre Giroux after a seemingly benign check.
“[Giroux] took a couple of runs out there and I acted suddenly and probably shouldn’t have,” Duco. “But that’s part of the game and if he wants to take liberties with our younger guys people have to stick up for them. I just tried to do what I could…I might have done the wrong thing at the time, but things happen. I thought [Giroux] was going to get up and go back at me after last year [in the AHL], where we had a couple battles and I just figured if I did that he’d come back at me. I guess he didn’t so it’s probably a mistake on my part.”
