5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers 5, Capitals 2

SUNRISE, Fla. --Thanks to a perfect night on the penalty kill and a strong performance from Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes, the Florida Panthers secured a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday.
Winning three of their last four games, the Panthers now sit at 9-6-1 in the standings.
"Like every game, we came out and had a strong start," said Carter Verhaeghe, who scored a pair of goals in the win. "It was a gritty one. The special teams were huge with the PK. It was a solid win throughout."
For a quick recap of the game, click
HERE
.
To read up on five key takeaways for the Cats, continue below.

1. BARKY THE BEAST

You can always pencil in a point or two for Aleksander Barkov against the Capitals.
Opening the scoring, the captain broke the ice when he ripped a shot from the high slot that clipped off Darcy Kuemper before sailing into the net to make it 1-0 at 5:45 of the first period.

In 19 career games against Washington, Barkov has tallied 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists).
"When his mentality is to shoot first, he's just such a dynamic player," head coach Paul Maurice said. "He's going to make those plays. He's going to hit the open guy, but that shot that he has, to get it off his stick, he's just so big and strong."
Factoring in on three of Florida's five goals to record his 39th career three-point game, Barkov has registered 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 16 games this season. Winning 56.9% of his faceoffs in 2022-23, the former Selke Trophy winner also won 10 draws against Washington.
All that considered, Barkov's biggest moment against the Capitals might've been when he came to the defense of Verhaeghe after he was the victim of an illegal hit early in the second period.
"I appreciate that from him," Verhaeghe said. "He's not usually into that, but we stick up for each other here. I love Barky."

2. PLAY BALL

Batter up!
Showcasing his elite hand-eye coordination, Sam Reinhart doubled the lead to 2-0 on the power play in the second period when he backhanded a rebound out of mid-air past Kuemper at 3:46.

Over their last nine games, the Panthers are operating at 27.6% on the power play.
"We're getting some bounces," Reinhart said when asked about heating up with the extra attacker. "Our pace has risen the last couple games. It's led to some more opportunities."
For his goal song, Reinhart picked an all-time 90s earworm.
"The Macarena" by Los Del Rio.
Starting to get rewarded for his strong play, Reinhart has scored three goals over his last four games.

3. TKACHUK'S MILESTONE

Matthew Tkachuk took home a ceremonial puck last night.
With the secondary assist on Reinhart's power-play goal, the 24-year-old picked up the 400th point of his career. Originally taken by Calgary with the sixth-overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, he joined Auston Matthews as the only two players from that class to hit the 400-point plateau so far.
Finishing the game with three assists, Tkachuk now sits at 402 career points.
"And still getting better," Maurice said enthusiastically. "There's still lots to his game. His hands are probably the thing I've maybe underappreciated coming in, even having seen him play as much as I've seen him play. He's just got an incredible set of hands."
Increasing his team-leading point total to 20 (five goals, 15 assists), Tkachuk also tied Pavel Bure's record for the fewest games to hit the 20-point mark in a season in franchise history.
Not bad company to be in!

4. PENALTY KILL SHINES

The Panthers spent most of the time after last night's game talking about their penalty kill.
For good reason.
Killing off all five power plays they faced against the Capitals -- including spending almost eight minutes shorthanded in the second period -- the Panthers were at their best when down a man. On those five power plays, Washington fired off 14 shots on goal, but Bobrovsky was there to gobble up each and every one of them.
Holding onto a 3-2 lead around the midway point of the third period, the Panthers surrendered just two shots on goal during a clutch final penalty kill.
"I think our penalty kill deserves all the credit for tonight's win along with our goalie," Maurice said. "The goalie is the key piece, right? Your best penalty killer."
Up front, Eric Staal, Eetu Luostarinen, Anton Lundell and Barkov all skated more than four minutes on the penalty kill, with Staal's 5:37 leading the way. On the back end, Aaron Ekblad and Marc Staal held things down while each clocking more than six shorthanded minutes.
Over the last five games, Florida has gone 19-for-21 on the penalty kill.
"Our penalty kill did a fantastic job tonight," forward Nick Cousins said. "Those guys deserve a lot of credit for the win."

5. BOB STANDS TALL

This was arguably Bobrovsky's best start of the season.
Turning aside 41 of 43 shots, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner looked to be in peak form, especially during the third period when he made 21 saves to shut the door on the Capitals and lock down the win for Florida.

"I felt good," said Bobrovsky, who improved his record to 4-4-1. "I saw the puck well. The guys helped me a lot to clean in front of the net. … We respect [the Capitals]. It's a big two points for us."
When asked about his 14 saves on the penalty kill, Bobrovsky said it was a team effort.
"I think it's the little details," Bobrovsky said. "The little things after the shots or staying strong and not letting them come into the zone. You can say this and that, but it's just the collective effort. All four guys and the goalie compete and try to do their best."
Of his 41 saves, seven were considered high-danger, per NaturalStatTrick.com.