Caps regain first with strong 4-0 win over Florida

The Capitals vaulted to the top of the Southeast Division standings Tuesday night, blasting the Florida Panthers 4-0 at Verizon Center. With the win, Washington moved one point ahead of the Panthers for the penthouse suite in the Southeast race.

Washington was off and running just 13 seconds into the game when Mathieu Perreault scored his ninth goal of the season from Jason Chimera. The goal gave the Caps a very early 1-0 lead, and it only got better from there. Alex Ovechkin broke an 0 for 18 power play drought for the Caps with his 21st of the season, and first on the power play since January 18 to make the score 2-0 at the end of one. Jason Chimera opened the second period with his second short-handed goal of the season just 1:01 into the frame to make the score 3-0, and Ovechkin also potted his second of the game and his 22nd of the season at 11:47. Despite only 18 shots through two periods, Washington hustled out to a four-goal lead at the end of 40 minutes. Neither team would score in the final 20 minutes, Tomas Vokoun earned his fourth shutout of the season, and his second against Florida. The Capitals take over first place in the Southeast with a 4-0 win over the Cats.

Washington wraps up the current three-game homestand Thursday night when the Winnipeg Jets come to call at Verizon Center. Face-off is 7:00 p.m., with a 6:45 p.m. airtime on the Capitals Radio Network. Jay Beagle and John Erskine were healthy scratches for Dale Hunter’s team. The goal from Perreault 13 seconds in was the fastest goal from the start of a game for Washington this season. The Caps will meet Florida again on February 17 in a game at Bank Atlantic Center.