Panthers claw back from 3-goal deficit, top Capitals 5-3
SUNRISE, Fla. — Carter Verhaeghe set a Florida postseason record with a five-point night, and the Florida Panthers escaped a three-goal deficit to beat the Washington Capitals 5-3 and take a 3-2 lead in an Eastern Conference first-round series Wednesday night.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 shots for Florida, which trailed 3-0 in the second period. Verhaeghe had two goals and three assists for the Panthers.
Patric Hornqvist, Claude Giroux and Sam Reinhart also scored for the Panthers, and Aleksander Barkov had two assists.
T.J. Oshie scored twice for Washington, which also got a goal from Justin Schultz and two assists from Evgeny Kuznetsov. Ilya Samsonov stopped 33 shots.
Verhaeghe broke the Panthers’ playoff scoring record that Ray Sheppard set on a four-point night back on April 22, 1996 — which remains the last, and only, season in which the Panthers won a playoff series.
They can change that Friday, when Game 6 is played in Washington. Game 7, if necessary, would be back at Florida on Sunday.
RANGERS 5, PENGUINS 3
NEW YORK — Filip Chytil scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period and New York staved off elimination with a victory over Pittsburgh in Game 5 of the teams’ first-round playoff series.
Jacob Trouba and Alexis Lafrenière each had a goal and an assist, and Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren also scored for the Rangers. Igor Shesterkin, torched for 10 goals over three periods in the previous two games, had 27 saves.
Jake Guentzel had two goals and Kris Letang also scored for Pittsburgh, which leads the best of seven series 3-2. Evgeni Malkin had two assists and Louis Domingue finished with 29 saves.
Penguins star Sidney Crosby left with about seven minutes remaining in the second period with what coach Mike Sullivan said after the game was an upper body injury.
Game 6 is Friday in Pittsburgh, and a potential deciding Game 7 would be Sunday back at Madison Square Garden.
FLAMES 3, STARS 1
CALGARY, Alberta — Mikael Backlund, Andrew Mangiapane and Trevor Lewis all scored in the third period, leading Calgary over Dallas to take a 3-2 lead in their first-round playoff series.
Jacob Markstrom made 20 saves for the Flames, who can win the series Saturday in Dallas. If necessary, Game 7 would be back in Calgary on Sunday.
Jason Robertson scored the lone goal for Dallas, and Jake Oettinger stopped 29 shots.
