In a thrilling match at Amerant Bank Arena, the Florida Panthers secured a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals, with Ryan Lomberg’s late-game heroics as the focal point. Lomberg, with only his third goal of the season, delivered the decisive blow with just 5:32 remaining in the third period.
Dmitry Kulikov’s precise pass found Lomberg in the slot, where he unleashed a rapid wrist shot, eluding Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper. Notably, this marked Lomberg’s first game-winning goal of the season and the third in his NHL career.
Eetu Luostarinen added an empty-net goal in the waning moments, securing the win for the Panthers, who improved their record to 32-15-4. Meanwhile, the Capitals saw their record dip to 22-20-7. Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart contributed with goals for Florida, both crucially tying the game during the second period. Tkachuk redirected a Gustav Forsling shot for his goal, while Reinhart deflected Tkachuk’s shot from the blue line during a power play.
On the opposing side, Alexander Ovechkin and Anthony Mantha found the back of the net for the Capitals. Noteworthy performances included Sergei Bobrovsky’s stellar goaltending, stopping 21 of 23 shots and extending his impressive record to 24-10-2. Bobrovsky has now secured victory in 11 of his last 15 starts.
Sam Reinhart continued his power-play prowess with his 21st goal in such situations, leading the NHL in this category. Overall, Reinhart boasts an impressive 38 goals this season, second only to Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Panthers also showcased their power play proficiency, scoring in six consecutive games.
Matthew Tkachuk displayed another multi-point effort, contributing a goal and assists on Reinhart’s power-play goal and Luostarinen’s empty-netter. Tkachuk has been instrumental in the Panthers’ recent success, accumulating 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) in his last 19 games.
This surge contrasts with his earlier performance, where he managed just six multi-point games in the initial 32 games of the season.
Tkachuk’s overall season tally now stands at an impressive 54 points in 51 games played. Looking ahead, the Panthers will conclude their three-game homestand against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.
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