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Mar 1, 2009 6:14 pm US/Eastern
Panthers Rebound, Beat Capitals 6-2
WASHINGTON (CBS4.com) ―
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The Florida Panthers beat the division leading Washington Capitals 6-2 on Sunday at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Just one day after suffering their worse loss of the season, the Florida Panthers rebounded to beat the Washington Capitals 6-2 on Sunday.
Stephen Weiss, Bryan McCabe and Jay Bouwmeester scored power-play goals in the first period and Florida held Alex Ovechkin without a point until the final minute of the game. McCabe finished with three assists, and Weiss had two. Rookie Michael Frolik, Richard Zednik and Jassen Cullimore also scored goals for the Panthers.
Florida entered Sunday second in the Southeast Division and seventh in the Eastern Conference, barely in playoff position.
Washington started well, going up 1-0 less than 1 1/2 minutes into the game on Alexander Semin's power-play goal off an assist from Brooks Laich. But that was all the offense they could muster until Ovechkin's NHL-high 46th goal with less than 30 seconds left.
Florida moved to a 4-1 lead before the first period was over -- and could have had more. With Washington still ahead, Jose Theodore was whistled for throwing his stick at the puck, which gave the Panthers a penalty shot. Theodore's glove save on David Booth's attempt preserved Washington's lead -- for 13 seconds.
That's how long it took for Florida to tie the game, starting a perfect 3-for-3 showing on the man-advantage in the first period: Weiss scored at 3:53 off McCabe's assist, McCabe scored at 6:59, and Bouwmeester made it 3-1 with 14:19 gone off assists from Weiss and McCabe.
The game's first even-strength goal came with a little under 4 minutes left in the opening period, when Zednik put Florida up 4-1, drawing some scattered boos. There were more jeers when the buzzer sounded to end the period.
When the second period began, rookie goaltender Michal Neuvirth took over in the net for Theodore. Neuvirth allowed Florida's fifth goal midway through the period, when Cullimore's slap shot went in off defenseman Jeff Schultz's skate.
Frolik added the final tally on McCabe's assist with about 7 1/2 minutes left in the game.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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