WASHINGTON - Brady Tkachuk scored twice in the first period but the Florida Panthers could not hold on, dropping a 4-3 decision to the Washington Capitals on Saturday afternoon and heading into a difficult road stretch having lost two of their last three games.
The Panthers entered the game having won seven of their previous 10, but Washington goaltender Logan Thompson held firm through a late Florida push to secure the win. The Capitals built a 4-2 lead by the 4:42 mark of the third period before Sam Bennett pulled Florida within one at 19:14, finishing off a pass from Matthew Tkachuk with the goalie pulled for a sixth skater. The comeback fell short with 45 seconds remaining.
Brady Tkachuk’s performance carried a historic footnote, according to Florida Hockey Now. With his second goal of the afternoon, Tkachuk matched Kristian Huselius - who needed 17 games - for the third-fewest games to reach 10 career goals as a Panther, trailing only Pavel Bure, who reached the mark in nine games, and Bennett, who did so in 14. Tkachuk also became just the third player to record three multi-goal performances as a Panther in fewer than 20 games, joining Bure, who did it in nine games, and Mark Parrish, who needed 14. Matthew Tkachuk required 39 games to reach that mark during the 2022-23 season.
The game turned in the second period. Washington’s Alex Tuch forced a neutral-zone turnover and scored at 4:39 to tie the game at 2-2, then Aliaksei Protas converted a passing play around the net at 14:55 to give the Capitals a 3-2 lead. Pierre-Luc Dubois extended the advantage to 4-2 at 4:42 of the third by capitalizing on a Florida turnover deep in the zone.
The Panthers also absorbed an injury blow during the first period when Sandis Vilmanis was rammed into the boards from behind by Washington’s Tom Wilson. Vilmanis did not return. Wilson was assessed a 5-minute major for boarding and ejected from the game, giving Florida a lengthy power play - but the Panthers converted only once, Tkachuk’s second goal at 10:00 that gave them a 2-1 lead. The team was already playing without Anton Lundell, sidelined by an undisclosed injury.
Florida Hockey Now named Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson its first star, with Brady Tkachuk second and Dubois third.
The Panthers face an immediate test Sunday at 1 p.m. when they visit the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Bruins at Boston Garden, with the game available locally on Scripps Sports - WSFL 39 in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, WHDT 9 in West Palm Beach, and LAFF 36.3 in Southwest Florida, and nationally on NHL Network. Boston leads the all-time regular-season series 66-42-7 with six ties, though Florida holds a 3-0 edge in all-time postseason series, including wins in the 1996 First Round (4-2), the 2023 First Round (4-3), and the 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinal (4-2). Florida won last season’s matchup 3-0. The Panthers then travel to Columbus to face the Blue Jackets on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.