Capitals Knock Off Panthers In Overtime For Fourth Win

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for, a multi-game winning streak!

Feb 12, 2013; Sunrise, FL, USA; The Washington Capitals celebrate after their 6-5 overtime win over the Florida Panthers on a goal by right wing Troy Brouwer at the BB&T Center.

The Capitals swept the home-and-home series against the Florida Panthers by winning a 6-5 overtime thriller tonight on the stick of Troy Brouwer. Brouwer scored just 21 seconds into overtime, following up his own shot after making a run to the net on a stellar pass from Nicklas Backstrom.

Unfortunately, the game didn’t answer any more questions about the goalie situation, because as the score shows, the Capitals gave up five goals. However, the Capitals showed something that they had lacked for the most part thus far, and that is resilience. After giving up the lead on several occasions, falling into a two-goal deficit in the third period, they managed to fight back and force overtime. They ensured one point and, courtesy of Backstrom and Brouwer, walked away with their second two-point game in as many contests.

Whether this is the start of a new chapter for the Capitals or not remains unclear. They beat the same team twice, so in theory it could just be a good matchup. It’s great to be excited for two wins, but it’s also wise to wait until Washington strings together multiple wins against different teams before deeming them a playoff threat. Another point to keep in mind is the fact that with the shortened season, a bad start is not nearly as easy to overcome as it would be in a regular 82-game season. So, even if the Capitals put together a solid stretch from here on out, they have to play better than solid to clinch a playoff berth.

Alex Ovechkin got on the scorecard once again, Mike Ribiero got three points, and the stars may just be starting to align. The legitimacy of the Capitals as a playoff contender will next be tested on Thursday in a season-opener rematch against the division rival Lightning.