Ekblad breaks tie in 3rd, Panthers edge Capitals

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Aaron Ekblad scored the go-ahead goal with 6:48 remaining in the third period for the Florida Panthers, who defeated the Washington Capitals 5-3 at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday.

Ekblad took a pass from Sam Reinhart at the top of the right circle and beat Logan Thompson glove side with a slap shot. It was his first goal since Oct. 11 (34 games).

“It sure feels like a long time," Ekblad said. “Feels really good to get that one out there. That’s a very good team, no doubt about it. Was just happy to get the win, happy to get the points. We needed them.”

Reinhart had two goals and an assist, and Brad Marchand and Anton Lundell each had a goal and an assist for the Panthers (21-15-2), who had lost two of three. Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves, and Seth Jones had two assists.

“We have been down before and won, so there’s not really time to panic,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said of the comeback. “There was a bunch of stuff that just wasn’t going for us.”

Tom Wilson had two goals and an assist, and Dylan Strome had a goal and two assists for the Capitals (20-14-5), who have lost four of five (1-3-1) and seven of nine (2-5-2). Thompson made 24 saves.

“I thought we put ourselves in a good spot going into the third period to find a way to not only get points in the game but to win it,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said. “I thought we were right there. Just a few plays on both sides of the puck, offensively and defensively, that go the other way and we end up on the short end of it."

Wilson opened the scoring at 3:53 of the first period. Martin Fehervary's initial attempt produced a big rebound into the right circle, where Wilson scored past a lunging Bobrovsky.

Lundell responded 42 seconds later to tie it 1-1. He finished a backdoor pass from Jeff Petry at the left post following a turnover by Aliaksei Protas.

Reinhart gave Florida a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal at 12:45. He scored with a shot that ramped up over the left shoulder of Thompson off the shin of Trevor van Riemsdyk.

“We stuck with it. It was kind of an ugly first two [periods],” said Reinhart, who has 10 points (four goals, six assists) during a five-game point streak. “I don’t think we were forcing anything, we were playing the same way regardless. That’s how we have success. It’s fun when you win, and that was a big comeback in the third period.”

Wilson tied it 2-2 with his own power-play goal at 19:17 of the first. With Jones serving a double minor for high-sticking, Wilson was able to find space in the low slot and score with a one-timer off a pass from Strome.

Strome then gave the Capitals a 3-2 lead at 3:11 of the third period. He scored glove side from the point through a screen by Protas, who drew a penalty earlier in the play.

Marchand tied it 3-3 at 6:16. He deflected Sam Bennett's initial shot on Thompson before batting his own rebound under the goalie's blocker one second after a power play expired.

After Ekblad put the Panthers back in front, Reinhart sealed the win by scoring an empty-net goal at 19:25 to make it 5-3.

“We played well, two teams that play a similar style. It’s hard hockey, big boy hockey,” Wilson said. “We just didn’t generate enough in the offensive zone. ... The effort was there, the guys were competing and it was a fun hockey game. But, a frustrating one.”

NOTES: Bobrovsky's win was the 446th of his career, moving him past Terry Sawchuk for eighth in NHL history. ... Strome has 18 three-point games since joining the Capitals for the 2022-23 season, the most on the team in that span.