Washington Capitals lose again as Florida Panthers move to 3rd in Eastern Conference with 4-2 win - NHL Update
The Washington Capitals faced another defeat after the All-Star weekend as they lost out to the Florida Panthers 4-2 on Wednesday, February 1st, 2012.
The Capitals who have had an up and down season this year drop to ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 26-20-4 record and 56 points losing their playoff position.
Washington lost 4-3 in overtime to Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday in another away defeat and their form on the road has been gone down the drain. The Capitals have an 8-14-3 record on the road and the players were frustrated after the game with another straight defeat.
"It's frustrating. This game could have been a catapult to shoot us off the second half," Laich said. "We're back chasing again. Lack of success on the road is not acceptable."
Florida on the other hand moved up the table to third in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers on Tuesday lost 3-2 to Philadelphia Flyers in a shootout but rebounded right back from the defeat with a thumping victory over their Southeast division rivals.
Florida was brilliant in offence pounding the Capitals into submission as they sent 37-shots at Washington goaltender Michal Neuvirth. Forward Mikael Samuelsson scored two goals to power Panthers to an important victory.
Samuelsson was proud of his effort but said that the Panthers still have a lot to work on and will now concentrate on their next game.
"It's good to start off on a good note after a little break here, coming back," 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."
The first period ended with both teams failing to score but Florida had the advantage in shots, outshooting the Capitals 15-11.
Samuelsson broke the deadlock in the second period. Just 33 seconds in the forward took a pass from Tyson Strachan and wristed it toward goal. The puck hit the post but luckily nestled in the back of the net to give Florida a 1-0 lead.
The Capitals took a long time to equalise but equalise they did at 11:15 as Brooks Laich scored his tenth of the season to bring Washington level.
Florida then went all out in the third period to put the game to bed. Samuelsson beat Neuvirth on the power play to make it 2-1 at 4:57 and four minutes later Stephen Weiss put in Florida’s third.
Weiss’s goal was at first knocked off the score sheet as officials believed Weiss used his chest knowingly to push it in but after a lengthy review the Panthers got their lead as officials decided that the puck had legally entered the net.
Washington made it 3-2 late in the third period through John Carlson but only two minutes later Shawn Matthias made it 4-2 and put the game to bed.
The Capitals will now hope to end their losing streak on the road when they travel to Montreal on Saturday while Florida will face the Winnipeg Jets at home.
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