In Washington, DC, Jonathan Huberdeau staked the Florida Panthers to an early 1-0 lead in the first period.
The house fell in on the Panthers after that goal as the Capitals struck for six unanswered goals in a 6-0 win in Game 3.
“So far, the story written right now is they’ve out-competed us, out-willed [us], pretty much in every puck battle, every area,” Florida coach Andrew Brunette said. “Something we’re going to have to figure out here.”
The Caps lead the series 2-1.
“Make some adjustments, and obviously we’re going to talk about it because 0-for-9 is unacceptable,” Huberdeau said. “In the playoffs, you need these goals. It’s important. We had some chances today and we didn’t capitalize.”
Ilya Samsonov made 29 saves in he Washington win.
“I am ready all the time,” Samsonov said. “Sometimes you start playoffs, sometimes another goalie, but you need to get ready for every game. I understand if you want to win [the Stanley Cup], you need to win 16 games.”
TJ Oshie tied the game in the first period.
“I think the boys did a really good job from the drop of the puck all the way through,” Oshie said. “The score might have been 6-1, but we didn’t score our first goal for a while and we had to grind it out for a little while and keep going and going and going.”
Marcus Johansson  and Trevor van Riemsdyk gave the Caps a 3-1 lead in the middle frame.
“[Samsonov] makes a big save, and then we go the other way and get one. It makes a big difference,” Johansson said. “You’re up 2-1 or you’re down 2-1. ‘Sammy’ was unbelievable for us tonight.”
Alex Ovechkin made it 4-1 early in the third period.
John Carlson scored an empty net for the Caps in the 15th minute of the third period for a 5-1 lad.
Garnet Hathaway hit for a last minute strike for the 6-1 final.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves. in the Florida loss.
“To me, frustration’s taken over for some reason,” Brunette said. “When you get frustrated, it usually means you’re not working hard enough. Our compete has not been what it has been all year. It could be nerves, but we have to find a way.”
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