Capitals Fall to Panthers in Season Final, 2-0

Posted on April 9, 2017 by Jon Sorensen

Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images

The Washington Capitals fell to the Florida Panthers 2-0 Sunday night at Verizon Center. The Capitals’ finish the regular season with a record of 55-19-8 (118 points). The Capitals next get set for round one of the 2017 NHL playoffs. The Capitals will face the Toronto Maple Leafs with the series starting Thursday night at Verizon Center. Puck drop is 7PM.

Braden Holtby got the start in goal for the Capitals. Justin Williams, T.J. Oshie, Matt Niskanen and John Carlson were the healthy scratches for the season finale. Brett Connolly also did not play. Garrett Mitchell and Chandler Stephenson were called up from Hershey on Sunday.

QUICK NOTES:

  • Garrett Mitchell made his NHL debut. Mitchell was drafted by the Capitals in the 2009 draft.
  • Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Dmitry Orlov, Karl Alzner, Tom Wilson, Marcus Johansson and Evgeny Kuznetsov played in all 82 games for Caps.
  • Capitals finish the season 55-19-8 (118 points).
  • Tonight’s attendance was 18,506, the Capitals’ 357th consecutive sellout at Verizon Center.
  • The Capitals posted a 55-19-8 record this season, marking the second-most wins and third-most points (118) in a season in franchise history.
  • Washington won 53 games in regulation and overtime (ROW) this season, setting a new franchise record (previous: 2015-16: 52).
  • Washington posted a 32-7-2 record at home this season, marking the franchise record for home wins in a season.
  • Washington posted an 11-2-1 record in its last 14 games (3/14-4/9).
  • Washington led the NHL in goals against this season (182) to capture the William M. Jennings Trophy for the second time in franchise history. Al Jensen and Pat Riggin combined to win the award for Washington in 1983-84. The William M. Jennings Trophy is an annual award given to the goalkeeper(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it.

FIRST PERIOD:
Garrett Mitchell started on the first line with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Backstrom would intentionally get tossed from the opening faceoff to allow Garrett Mitchell to take the faceoff. The first period would go scoreless. Shots on goal for the opening frame were 10-8 in favor of the Capitals.

SECOND PERIOD:
The Panthers would strike first with a short handed goal by Derek MacKenzie with 4:13 left in the second period.

The period would end with the Panthers leading 1-0. The Capitals led 19-14 in shots on goal through two periods of play.

THIRD PERIOD:
The Panthers would stretch their lead to 2-0 with a power play goal by Denis Malgin at 9:47 of the final frame.

And that would be the final, as the Capitals fall to the Panthers 2-0 to conclude the 2016-2017 regular season.

By Jon Sorensen

SCENES FROM VERIZON CENTER

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and included time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.
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