One night after getting pulled in a lackluster 5-1 loss to Atlanta, Jose Theodore bounced back to turn in a solid two periods to keep the Panthers off the board and got some time off thanks to his defense. Theodore ended up turning away 19 shots in his second shutout of the season, although he didn't face a single shot in the last 20 minutes of the game.
The Caps beat the Panthers 3-0, as Brooks Laich's second period short-handed goal proved to be the game winner as Washington completely shut down Florida in the third period.
With the victory, the Capitals take a big step towards winning their second consecutive Southeast Division title. They now just need 10 points in their last 10 games to assure themselves of at least the third seed in the playoffs. The Caps also matched last season's point total of 94 with the victory, and they still have those 10 games left to play.
The first period featured a couple of good chances for both teams, as the Caps hit the post in the first minute, while the Panthers also had some good chances to get on the board, but Theodore snuffed out their chances. The period went without a goal or a penalty, but it was the first penalty of the game in the second period that turned the contest Washington's way.
Shaone Morrisonn was whistled for holding 4:26 into the second period, but a strong opening penalty kill was capped when Laich picked up the puck at the Panther blueline, fumbled it and came it on a sharp angle, but beat Tomas Vokoun for a 1-0 lead 5:46 into the period. It was a nicely placed shot from a bad angle, and gave a Caps team playing on back-to-back nights a nice lift.
Aided by three total power plays in the second period, the Panthers outshot Washington 11-8, but Laich's goal was the only goal of the stanza and proved to be a deflating result for Florida.
The Capitals finally went on the power play for the only time of the evening just :22 into the period, and while they didn't convert, the momentum built off the advantage helped create Viktor Kozlov's goal just :14 after Keith Ballard came out of the box.
After that, it was all Washington, as Florida failed to get a shot on goal despite one more power play and pulling Vokoun with over two minutes to play, and Mike Green deposited his 25th of the year on an empty netter to seal the win.
Washington now has won four of its last five, and hands the Panthers their fourth straight loss. Florida also remains in ninth place in the East, while the Caps are assured of a division title with even a .500 finish to the season.
The Caps head up to Tampa for Thursday's game against the Lightning, as the team now really can begin to tune up for the playoffs with a spot virtually in hand.
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