Panthers blank Capitals in season finale
Presidents’ Trophy winners rested several players.
WASHINGTON — With several regulars resting — including John Carlson, Matt Niskanen and T. J. Oshie — the playoff-bound Washington Capitals lost their regular-season finale to the Florida Panthers 2-0 on Sunday night.
They learned during the game that they’ll face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round.
It’s the first playoff meeting bet ween Washington and Toronto.
Trying to prepare for the playoffs, the Capit als sat defenseman Carlson with a lower-body injury and rested defenseman Niskanen and wingers Oshie and Justin Williams in their meaningless Game 82.
B r a d e n Hol t by p l aye d only the first two periods, allowing one goal on 14 shots before giving way to backup Philipp Grubauer.
Captain Derek MacKenzie and Denis Malgin scored for Florida, which got a 38-save shutout from James Reimer in Tom Rowe’s final game as coach.
Ro we w i l l n o t r e t u r n b e h i n d t h e b e n c h a f t e r replac ing Gerard Gallant in November.
“It’s not a good feeling, especially with the expectations being as high as they were,” Rowe said. “A very disappointing season, obviously, but just talking to the coaches ... to a guy they’re going to be better for it next year.
“Sometimes you’ve got to take a step backwards.”
The Capitals played it safe by giving Niskanen, Oshie and Williams the night off.
Coach Barry Trotz said they ’d all play in Game 1 against the Maple Leafs on Thursday and that he was “very confident” Carlson would be ready after missing the past four games.
Trotz asked Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom if they wanted the rest, and the top-liners preferred to play all 82 games.
“Ovi getting 82 games, a full season, I think that’s important to players more than maybe the coach or fans or media think it is,” Trotz said. “You go the whole distance as a player, the last thing you probably want is a coach to say, ‘You’ve gone this far, I’m going to take you out.’ I think they want to go the distance on that.
“I think that’s something that they can check off their own personal checklist.”
T h e P r e s i d e n t s ’ T r o - phy-winning Capitals now turn their attention to rookie of the year front-runner Aus- ton Matthews and the upstart Maple Leafs, back in the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
“They have lots of young guys, lots of speed,” Ovechkin said. “I think it’s gonna be a good series. We just have to play our way and don’t give them obviously freedom and be patient.”
Washington goes in as the heavy favorite.
“You have nerves when you win the Presidents’ Trophy and you’re playing a real good team in the first round,” Toronto coach Mike Babcock said Sunday.
“That’s when it’s totally different program though. We’re so far away from that program though. We’ve got t wo years left before that happens.”
Notes
The Capit als c alled up 2009 sixth-round pick Garrett Mitchell to make his NHL debut and also recalled forward Chandler Stephenson to play. ... Because of injuries, the Panthers dressed eight defensemen and 10 forwards.