Washington star out because of suspension
At this rate, the Florida Panthers will beg to see Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin.
Four times this season Washington has played Florida without the two-time NHL Hart Trophy winner in the lineup. Four times the Caps have routed the Panthers. It happened again on Tuesday night. With Ovechkin out again — thanks to a two-game suspension for a boarding penalty — his teammates didn’t miss a beat in a 7-3 victory.
Forward Brendan Morrison, a healthy scratch during Sunday’s contest at Chicago, returned to the lineup with his second three-point game of the season. He had a goal and two assists. Forward Brooks Laich scored two goals and added an assist. Nicklas Backstrom also recorded a goal and an assist.
That was more than enough to chase Florida goalie Tomas Vokoun, who stopped just 15 of the first 20 shots he saw and was pulled in the second period.
Washington improved to 47-14-9 and now has 103 standings points. That is just five shy of last year’s team-record 108 points with 12 games still to play. The Caps also are 16 points ahead of Pittsburgh in the race for home-ice advantage in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
In four games without Ovechkin, Washington outscored the Panthers 24-10. It also swept the six-game season series. The Caps scored the first two goals of the night — a power-play goal from Alex Semin and another from Jason Chimera. Semin has 32 goals on the season. The third line — Morrison, Chimera and Eric Fehr — combined for three goals and two assists.
Florida cut into the lead on a Steven Reinprecht goal at 18 minutes, 19 seconds of the first period. But the Caps scored three times to start the second. Morrison struck first, pouncing on a loose puck in the slot in front of Vokoun. Fehr finished a Morrison pass at 10:30 and Laich then added another goal. Laich later set a career high with the lone goal in the third period — his 24th of the season. The 26-year-old also has set a career best in points (54).
