Florida scored twice in the second, including their third power play goal of the night to put the Capitals down, 5-2.
The period opened on the power play for Florida, but they were unable to convert. Just as it ended, Brooks Orlov slashed Tomas Kopecky to put the Panthers back on the man advantage. This time the Cats were successful, with Sean Bergenheim scoring his fourth goal of the season on a wraparound with assists from Shawn Matthias and defenseman Jason Garrison.
The Panthers added another goal to their lead at the 12 minute mark, with Tomas Fleischmann feeding Stephen Weiss with a pass in heavy traffic for a highlight reel score, Weiss' 11th of the season.
Cody Eakin scored his third goal of the season, cutting into Florida's lead with 20 seconds remaining in the period on a pass from behind the net from Mathieu Perrault. An assist was also awarded to John Carlson.
Shots: Panthers, 13-10
Hits: Capitals, 8-6
Faceoffs: Tied, 11-11
Score: Florida 5, Washington 2