Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Mike Knuble registered two goals and picked
up two assists, as the Washington Capitals scored five times in the third
period to defeat the Florida Panthers, 7-4, at Verizon Center.
Tomas Fleischmann also tallied twice, while Brooks Laich, Mathieu Perreault
and Quintin Laing provided the rest of the scoring for the Capitals, who
swept the home-and-home series after earning a 4-1 win Friday at the
BankAtlantic Center. Nicklas Backstrom collected two assists, and Jose
Theodore made 24 saves in the win.
Michael Frolik, Dmitry Kulikov, Michal Repik and Cory Stillman each had a goal
for the Panthers, who have lost six of their last nine games. Scott Clemmensen
was beaten seven times on 32 shots in defeat.
"It's disheartening," Panthers coach Peter DeBoer said. "We scored [four]
goals, we should win that game."
The first goal of Perreault's career tied the game at 3-3 at the 2:21 mark of
the third period. Washington seized the lead 40 seconds later on a tally by
Laing, but Stillman drew the Panthers even when he cruised through the middle
of the ice and redirected Kulikov's point shot at 5:09.
Fleischmann put the Capitals back on top for good at 7:22. Backstrom came
around the left post and backhanded the puck on goal. Clemmensen got a piece
of the shot, but Fleischmann was on the doorstep and banged home the disc.
Knuble provided some insurance with a nifty deflection at 11:06 and
Fleischmann extended the lead to 7-4 with 6:22 remaining.
"We didn't let up," Knuble said. "We kept going and stuck with the game plan."
Knuble put the Capitals on the board, positioning himself below the right
circle and hammering Brendan Morrison's feed from behind the Florida net past
Clemmensen at 13:12 of the first period.
Frolik deposited the rebound of a Bryan McCabe shot, tying the game 1:35 into
the middle stanza, but Laich restored the lead via the power play a little
less than five minutes later.
Tallies by rookies Kulikov and Repik enabled the Panthers to take a 3-2
advantage into the second intermission. Kulikov, the 14th overall pick in this
year's draft, unloaded a shot from the right point that tickled the twine at
10:24 for his first NHL goal.
Kenndal McArdle then sent a pass into the slot for Repik, who found the back
of the net with 3:57 remaining.
