The Florida Panthers are once again the Comeback Cats.
In Game 5 of their Eastern Conference First Round matchup against the Washington Capitals, the Panthers had to rally in order to earn a much-needed victory. Coming into the game, the series was tied 2-2, and now Florida will have two opportunities to advance to the next round for the first time since 1996.
The pivotal win was clinched 5-3, though it took five unanswered goals by Florida after it was Washington that struck early. Forward T.J. Oshie scored the only goal of the first period, then scored his second goal in the early stages of the second period to give the Capitals a 3-0 lead.
However, if we’ve learned anything this season, it’s that the Panthers are never out of a game. Carter Verhaeghe broke the ice for the Cats with his fourth goal of the playoffs. From there, he picked up two more second-period points to get his team back to even after 40 minutes of play.
Game 5 was a perfect win for the Panthers.
Florida struck again early in the third frame and ultimately won the game 5-3. A win is a win, but this one counts a little bit more than the rest this season, and it might have come in the perfect fashion.
Of course, no team wants to trail a game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs by three goals, but it forced the Panthers’ offense to come alive. As the highest-scoring team in the regular season, the Cats should be able to score more than they have in this series (11 goals entering Game 5).
Here, they did that to the tune of five goals, which will hopefully serve as the first domino that the Panthers needed to see fall.
Speaking of getting things back on track, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky struggled early, but he settled in as the game progressed, making 30 saves in the game. He wasn’t great in the two contests in Washington, but if he is going to maintain the starting position, then perhaps this performance can get him trending in the right direction.
This win feels like the type that can not only invigorate the Panthers but also suck a lot of the air out of the Capitals. It’s not how one might draw it up, but the comeback gives Florida some extra momentum, which is almost as important as the victory.
With Florida now up 3-2 in their best-of-seven series, the team will look to bounce the 2018 Stanley Cup champions from this year’s postseason when they meet in Game 6 on Friday.