In Sunrise, the Panthers scored twice in the third period after entering the frame tied, 2-2, with the visiting Washington Capitals on Thursday.
Ryan Lomberg snapped the tie with five and half minutes left on the regulation clock for a 3-2 lead.
It was his first strike in 35 games.
“It was good for our line. The big boys have been doing most of the scoring all season long,’’ Lomberg said. “To score for our team, it’s a great thing. … The most important thing is the two points, but it is great to contribute.”
Eetu Luostarinen hit an empty net with 54 seconds left on the game clock for the 4-2 final count on the scoreboard.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 21 saves in the win.
The Panthers improved to 32-15-4.
“This league is tough so, when you lose, it’s like, ‘We can’t let this go’,” said Florida coach Paul Maurice, whose team had lost five of its previous six home games.
“It is more about style of play for us because we have earned that right. We have a bit of a cushion [in the standings] but we cannot rely on that. We just need to play our game and it is a hard game to play.”
The Capitals took a 1-0 lead in the opening stanza on a power play strike by Alex Ovechkin at 16:38.
Matthew Tkachuk tied the game, 1-1, at 4:29 of the middle frame.
“The way we played in the second and the third has got to be a staple for us,” Tkachuk said. “We have done that for big chunks of the season, but we have gotten away from it a little bit here at home. It felt good to get back to it.”
The Caps dropped to 22-20-7, stretching their losing skid to six.
Washington reclaimed the lead when Anthony Mantha scored at 14:03 for a 2-1 lead.
“I thought we battled pretty hard,” Mantha said. “We need to come together, obviously, and that’s the only way we’re going to come out this. There is enough talent, the right attitude and compete level in this room to look at what’s ahead and know we can do it.’’
Sam Reinhart sent the game to the third period tied, 2-2, when he collected his 21st power play goal at the season at 17:32.
“We have to find a way to dig in and find a way to sustain it,’’ said Washington coach Spencer Carbery, whose team led 1-0 and 2-1. “We have to find a way to have more consistency over 60 minutes.”
Darcy Kuemper made 37 saves in the loss.
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