Panthers pull even with Capitals in Eastern wild-card chase
Marc Staal wasn’t too worried about not scoring a goal all season and having a goal drought extend almost a full calendar year.
That didn’t make his smile any smaller when he ended it and was mobbed by Florida teammates.
“They were all pumped up and it’s a big goal in a big game, so it was a lot of fun,” Staal said.
The Panthers have had plenty to celebrate lately, especially after Staal’s goal and 28 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky helped them beat the Washington Capitals 6- 3 Thursday night in a crucial matchup in the Eastern Conference wild-card race.
Florida pulled even with Washington at 62 points (one point behind the Penguins), closing an 11-point gap between the teams since New Year’s Day. The Capitals are only ahead in the standings because they’ve played one fewer game.
“We knew how big of a game this is. It felt like a playoff game out there,” Colin White said.
The Panthers have won five of seven to claw into the playoff chase.
Other games
Blue Jackets 3, Jets 1: Kent Johnson broke a 1-1 tie in the third period and Joonas Korpisalo had 36 saves to help Columbus win at home. The Blue Jackets overcame a terrible first period in which they mustered only two shots.
Hurricanes 6, Canadiens 2: Seth Jarvis registered his first career hat trick and Carolina scored three times in the first five minutes of the third period to turn the game into a blowout in Raleigh, N.C.
Notes
U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh was officially named executive director of the NHL Players’ Association,
putting an experienced union leader and the former Boston mayor in charge at a time of growing revenues in hockey and with collective bargaining talks a few years away. The NHLPA said its executive board with representatives from all 32 clubs unanimously approved Walsh’s appointment. Walsh will begin his new role in mid-March, succeeding longtime executive director Don Fehr.
• Detroit signed defenseman Olli Maatta to a two-year, $6 million extension. Maatta has five goals and 17 points this season, his first with Detroit,