SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Brad Marchand reached 1,000 career points with two assists, Sam Reinhart scored twice and Florida Panthers beat the Washington Capitals 6-3 on Thursday.
Eetu Luoustarinen, Seth Jones, Cole Schwindt and Evan Rodrigues also scored for the Panthers, who began a run of 11 of 12 games at home.
Marchand assisted on Jones’ goal that put Florida ahead 5-3 late in the third period and Luostarinen’s empty-netter with 1:30 remaining.
Marchand has 335 goals and 565 assists in 1,116 regular-season games. Jones and Rodrigiues each scored their 100th NHL goals.
Panthers backup goalie Daniil Tarasov stopped 37 shots for his first victory with the club.
Rasmus Sandin, Justin Sourdif and Brandon Duhaine scored for the Capitals. They were 1-3 on a four-game trip.
Goals from Reinhart and Schwindt in the second period put the Panthers ahead 3-1. Schwidnt’s goal 3:05 into the period snapped a 1-all tie.
Reinhart padded the lead with his power play goal with 5:19 left in ther period. Logan Thompson stopped Carter Verhaeghe’s shot but Reinhart tapped in the deflection.
After the Capitals narrowed the deficit on Justin Sourdif’s goal 52 seconds into the third period, the Panthers responded with goals by Reinhart and Jones.
The Panthers were again with a slew of injured players, including Aleksander Barkov, Dmitry Kulikov and Jonah Gadjovich. But coach Paul Maurice indicated that Matthew Tkachuk — who has yet to play this season following offseason surgery — might be inching toward a return in the coming weeks.
Capitals: Host New Jersey on Saturday night.
Panthers: Host Tampa Bay on Saturday.
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