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Alex Ovechkin had his first multi-goal game of the season and Tomas Vokoun stopped all 42 shots the Panthers sent his way, as Washington took over first place in the Southeast Division.
Injuries:
Ed Jovanovski is recovering from hand surgery and may play again in mid-March. Scottie Upshall had a sports hernia surgery and should be back the second week of March. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom had knee surgery and is skating, but not expected back for at least three weeks. Dmitry Kulikov is rehabbingt a knee surgery and is out until March. Jack Skille is back out with a shoulder injury, but should be back soon. Marco Sturm is back on the DL, recovering from knee surgery.
Starting Lineup:
Forwards:
Tomas Fleischmann - Stephen Weiss - Kris Versteeg
Sean Bergenheim - Marcel Goc - Mikael Samuelsson
Mike Santorelli - Shawn Matthias - Tomas Kopecky
Matt Bradley - John Madden - Krys Barch
Defensemen:
Brian Campbell - Erik Gudbranson
Tyson Strachan - Keaton Ellerby
Goalie:
Scott Clemmensen (8-3-5) is likely to get the start, with Brian Foster the backup.
Injuries:
Mike Green is recovering from a sports hernia and is skating again. Nicklas Backstrom is out indefinitely with a concussion. Brooks Laich is day-to-day with a knee injury. Tom Poti is out the rest of the season with a groin injury.
Starting Lineup:
Forwards:
Alex Ovechkin - Marcus Johansson - Troy Brouwer
Jason Chimera - Mathieu Perrault - Alexander Semin
Matt Hendricks - Jeff Halpern - Joel Ward
Defensemen:
Roman Hamrlik - Dmitry Orlov
Goalies:
Tomas Vokoun (21-13-1) is confirmed as tonight's starter, with Michal Neuvirth (6-8-3) backing him up.
Common Thread:
Panthers first-line forward Tomas Flesichmann played 283 games for the Capitals over six seasons, scoring 60 goals and 78 assists with a minus-11 rating and 84 penalty minutes.
Panthers fourth line winger Matt Bradley played in 427 games over six seasons for the Capitals, scoring 37 goals and 59 assists with a minus-10 rating and 376 penalty minutes.
Panthers winger Marco Sturm played 18 games last season with Washington, scoring one goal and six assists with an even rating and six penalty minutes.
Panthers starting goaltender Jose Theodore played in 104 games over two seasons with the Capitals, racking up an impressive 62-24-12 record with a .905 save percentage and a 2.84 GAA.
Capitals starting goaltender Tomas Vokoun played 248 games over four seasons for the Panthers, compiling a 101-108-30 record with a .923 save percentage and a 2.57 GAA.
Capitals All-Star defenseman Dennis Wideman played in 61 games for Florida last season, scoring nine goals and 24 assists with an even rating and 16 penalty minutes.
Panthers Milestones:
Jason Garrison and Kris Versteeg are tied for 49th all-time with 20 goals. Brett McLean is in 48th with 21. Shawn Matthias is tied in 46th with Dave Gagner, with 24 goals. Mike Van Ryn sits in 45th, with 25. Mike Santorelli is in 44th, with 26 goals, one more will move him into a tie for 42nd with Mike Hough and Gary Roberts.
NHL Milestones:
Kris Versteeg plays in his 300th NHL game tonight.
Team Leaders:
Goals:
Kris Versteeg - 20
Tomas Fleischmann - 17
Stephen Weiss, Jason Garrison - 13
Assists:
Brian Campbell - 34
Stephen Weiss, Kris Versteeg - 25
Points:
Kris Versteeg - 45
Tomas Fleischmann, Stephen Weiss - 38
Plus/Minus:
Stephen Weiss - plus-8
Kris Versteeg - plus-7
Jason Garrison - plus-six
Florida will be visiting the Washington Capitals tonight at the Verizon Center in the Chinatown district of Washington DC. This is the fourth meeting this season of six between the divisional rivals, and the second of three played in the nation's capital. The Panthers are 11-11-4 on the road, while Washington owns an 18-7-1 home record. Florida lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 6-3 on Saturday and return home to face the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday before hitting the road again to play the New Jersey Devils and the New York Islanders. Washington is in the second game of a three game homestand. They lost to the Boston Bruins, 4-1 on Sunday and go on to host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.
The teams met last Wednesday in Sunrise, as the Panthers skated to a 4-2 victory. Mikael Samuelsson scored the Panthers first two goals, Stephen Weiss added his 13th of the season in the third period and Shawn Matthias capped it with an empty netter for his ninth of the year. Tomas Fleischmann tallied two assists while Scott Clemmensen stopped 24 of 26 shots in the win. Brooks Laich and John Carlson scored for the Capitals, with Michael Neuvirth stopping 30 shots in the loss. Regarding Samuelsson's first goal from 100 feet out, Panthers coach Kevin Dineen was quoted after the game:
"You score from outside the blue line, you know what … sometimes you don't ask how. You're putting shots on the net. That's the kind of game we were looking for out of him. ... The two goals were nice, but I thought he had a really solid game. He looked refreshed, he was moving his feet. Good game from Mikael Samuelsson."
Capitals @ Panthers 02/01/12 (via NHLVideo)
The Panthers dropped a 6-3 decision in Tampa Bay on Saturday night. Martin St. Louis led the Lightning in his 900th career game by scoring his fifth career hat trick. Nate Thompson, Steven Stamkos and Vincent LeCavalier also netted goals for the Bolts while Mathieu Garon allowed three goals on only 17 Florida shots. Tomas Fleischmann, Mikael Samuellson, and Sean Bergenheim scored Florida's goals as Scott Clemmensen allowed five goals on 26 shots in taking the loss. Panther's goaltender Brian Foster made his first NHL appearance in relief near the end of the second period, stopping the only shot he faced. Forward Sean Bergenheim was quoted after the game regarding the Panthers performance, according to NHL.COM:
"I think today we were a tired team, and I don't think there's much else to it. We've got to forget about this one and just move on to the next game. I think we're all disappointed, but let's not think too much about it. We worked hard."
Panthers @ Lightning 02/04/12 (via NHLVideo)
The Caps dropped their last matchup, 4-1 on Sunday at home to the Boston Bruins. Marcus Johansson tallied the lone Washington goal, while Tomas Vokoun took the loss, allowing three goals on 29 Boston shots. Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, and Rich Peverly scored for Boston, while all-star goaltender Tim Thomas stopped 35 of 36 Capitals shots. Johansson spoke with media after the game, according to NHL.COM:
"Last 10 minutes of the first period, we were playing really good and we had shot after shot, but just couldn't get the puck in. It's tough when you have those nights. It felt like we had enough chances to win the game. Sometimes it just doesn't bounce your way. Tonight was one of those nights."
Bruins @ Capitals 02/05/12 (via NHLVideo)
Season Series: 2-1-0
All-Time Series: 43-43-15
Game Time: 7:00 EST
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Standings:
Florida Panthers: 24-16-11, 59, points, first Southeast Division, third Eastern Conference, 15th NHL, on pace for 95 points. Last five: W-O-W-W-L
Washington Capitals: 27-21-4, 58 points, second Southeast Division, ninth Eastern Conference, 16th NHL, on pace for 91 points. Last five: W-O-L-W-L
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Panthers Vs. Capitals Recap: Tomas Vokoun Shuts Out Former Team As Washington Cruises To 4-0 Win
The Florida Panthers relinquished first place in the Southeast Division on Monday night, as the Washington Capitals overwhelmed the Cats for a 4-0 shutout win. Tomas Vokoun stood on his head against his old team, shutting out of the Panthers for the second time this season. Florida badly outshot the Capitals, 42-24, but simply could not find the back of the net against Vokoun.
Washington set the tone early, jumping out to a one-goal lead just 13 seconds into the game. From there, it was all Vokoun and superstar Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin had his first multi-goal game of the season, adding a power play blast past Scott Clemmensen to make it 2-0 at the end of the first. He added his second goal at the end of the second period on a highlight-reel unassisted effort which made it 4-0. Florida could not convert two power play chances in the final period to make a game of it. They were 0 for 4 on the power play all night. They now trail Washington by one point in the division, and will host the LA Kings on Thursday night looking to get back on track.
For more news, analysis, and discussion on the Panthers, visit Litter Box Cats, SB Nation's Florida Panthers blog. For the opponent's perspective, visit Japers' Rink, SB Nation's Capitals. For all your hockey news, visit SB Nation's NHL news hub.
Feb 07 10:53p by Brendan Porath