Number 1 in the NHL regular season, the Florida Panthers had missed their entry into the play-offs, losing (4-2) at home to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday. But the Miami franchise recovered on Thursday and clearly beat the team from the capital of the United States (5-1), still at home, in game 2 of its first round series.
Ekblad, Barkov, Marchment, Lundell and Verhaeghe scored for the Panthers. Nicklas Backstrom scored the only goal for the Capitals, with the help of Alex Ovechkin, credited with an assist. Game 3 between the two teams will take place on Saturday, in Washington this time.
Dallas surprend Calgary
Also beaten when they entered the play-offs, the New York Rangers reacted against the Pittsburgh Penguins (5-2). The two teams are tied, one win all. The Dallas Stars signed a good performance, beating the Calgary Flames (2-0), winners of the Pacific Division, and equalizing in their series, with a victory for each side.
Finally the Colorado Avalanche widened the gap against the Nashville Predators (2-1 ap), thanks to a goal from Cale Makar. The Denver franchise leads by two sets to nil. In the other series of the first round of the play-offs, Tampa Bay, the double defending champion, and Toronto are tied (1-1), as are Minnesota and St Louis and Edmonton and Los Angeles. Carolina, for its part, broke away from Boston (2-0).