Washington, DC (My Sportsbook) - 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.
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.
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.
Game Notes
Washington forward Alex Ovechkin missed his third straight game with an upper- body strain...The Caps have scored first in 14 of 17 games this season.
