Washington Capitals continue climb with 2-1 victory over Florida Panthers -NHL Update
Washington managed to comeback after three straight losses as the Capitals rallied in the third period to overtake Florida Panthers, 2-1, and grab the ninth number spot on Friday night, February 17, 2012, at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida, United
States.
The Capitals are now only one point away from tying the eighth place Toronto Maple Leafs, which certainly is a reason to anticipate their upcoming games to see who remains dominate in the playoff race.
Former Washington player, Tomas Fleischmann, got the first of the night against his old team with his 19th goal of the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) with less than 40 seconds remaining after failing to capitalise on two straight power
play opportunities.
Now Washington goalie, Tomas Vokoun, also made an appearance against his former team and has certainly proved that they lost a jewel of a goaltender with his surprising performance this time.
"A big game, I was a little nervous, too," said Vokoun, who was with Florida Panthers for four straight seasons. "It's not easy playing back where I played last year, and we're chasing them. But I settled in and obviously a great finish by our guys."
Vokoun faced only 23 shots on his net and fell short on one while his counterpart in the Panthers net, Jose Theodore, was widely outshot with 41 and still blocked 39 to keep Florida alive.
Alex Ovechkin fired off the one-timer on the power play advantage on an assist from Alexander Semin, who then nearly 10 minutes later potted the game-winner at point-blank range for his 16th of the year.
"We got into penalty trouble in the third and couldn't stave off all those opportunities they were given," Panthers coach, Kevin Dineen, said. "That was the difference in the hockey game."
Washington has to continue their winning if they hope on making it into the playoffs and plan on avoiding a major embarrassment as they face-off against Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
Florida is now on a two-game losing streak and will be hosting the rowdy Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, making it a matchup not to miss in any case looking at how high the stakes are now.
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