Kevin Dineen needed more than a timeout tonight. (GIF by welshhockeyfan)

The Florida Panthers opened tonight’s game against the Washington Capitals with four straight shots on Braden Holtby in the first 1:44 of game action. They looked sharp. They looked ready to get out of the Southeast division cellar. The wheels fell off 24 seconds later.

As John Erskine wound up from the Panthers’ blue line — in what he would later admit was just a dump-and-change — Florida’s starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom mis-judged Erskine’s blast and allowed the puck to squeak through his seven-hole. 1-0 Caps.

2:36 later, the Capitals would score on their very next shot, as Markstrom was caught off guard by Wojtek Wolski‘s strong net crash. Enter Scott Clemmensen.

Clemmensen gave up two more goals — one to John Carlson and another to Mike Ribeiro — in the next six shots. The Capitals received a standing ovation and headed into intermission with a 4-0 lead, their biggest goal explosion this season.

“I don’t know what to say,” Markstrom told reporters after the game. “It was terrible. I feel like I let the team down. I am there to stop pucks, and I didn’t do that tonight.”

The Capitals beat the Panthers 7-1.

Now enjoy fun facts from the first period –plus video of all  four goals.

First Period Facts

8 – The number of shots it took for the Capitals to get their first four goals of the game, a 50% shooting percentage.

10 – The number of different Capitals skaters who recorded a point in the first period (Erskine, Ovechkin, Ribeiro, Wolski, Backstrom, Brouwer, Hendricks, Oleksy, Carlson, Perreault).

190 – The number of seconds Jacob Markstrom would last in net for the Panthers.

8:10 – The amount of time that elapsed until Kevin Dineen took a timeout.

3 – The number of times Calle Johansson described the team’s 4-0 lead as “tough” during an intermission interview with Al Koken.

100% – The shooting percentage of Erskine, Wolski, Carlson, and Ribeiro at the end of the period.

0% – Markstrom’s save percentage for the night.

2 – The number of points Alex Ovechkin got in the first period. He is now one short of 700 for his career.

10 – The number of shifts Caps rookie defenseman Steve Oleksy played (8:56) in the first period, a game-high.

-3 – The plus-minus of Florida defensemen Tyson Strachan and Brian Campbell after the first twenty minutes.

148 – The total number of feet the puck traveled for the Capitals to score all four goals in the first period.

8 – The number of Panthers regulars that were out tonight due to injury.

5 – The number of times Alex Ovechkin’s fiancé Maria Kirilenko tweeted during the first period. Including this photo showing how and where she was watching the game.

John Erskine’s Goal

Wojtek Wolski’s Goal

John Carlson’s Goal

Mike Ribeiro’s Goal

Just another ho-hum night for Ovechkin: 1 goal, 2 assists. (Photo credit: Mitchell Layton)

Semyon Varlamov: Your game's number one star. (Photo credit: Mitchell Layton)

In a matchup between the Eastern Conference’s best and worst teams, Bruce Boudreau opted to scratch three of his regulars — Jason Arnott, Scott Hannan and Alexander Semin — in the Capitals final home game of the regular season. After seeing his team play a tough 65 minutes in Toronto, Boudreau saw no compelling reason to field his best roster, especially considering the Capitals had already clinched their fourth straight Southeast division title.

Despite there being some signs pointing to Mike Green returning to the line-up tonight, Boudreau opted to sit the two-time Norris Trophy finalist as well. Boudreau told the Washington Post’s Greg Schimmel after today’s morning skate that, “No [Green won’t play tonight], but you know what, he’s ready to play and, I mean, he’s been symptom-free for three weeks plus. It’s just we’re trying to be as cautious as we can with things, just as other people are with guys that they have as concussions and could probably play, but they want to make 100 percent sure. We feel he’ll be good to go on Saturday.”

The Capitals “B” team, however, didn’t miss a beat. Before the game was a minute old, Marcus Johansson – he of the ever-burgeoning confidence — inside outted Mike Weaver with an extra-crispy move. Helpless and out of position, Weaver took a tripping penalty, sending the Capitals power play immediately onto the ice. Mike Knuble, the beneficiary of a Brooks Laich power move to the net, scored 23 seconds into the man-advantage. Jason Chimera, brilliantly set-up by Nicklas Backstrom, then scored via a tap-in on Washington’s second powerplay of the night to close the opening stanza.

The Capitals would never look back. Sean Collins would score his second career NHL goal on a rarely-seen four-on-two odd man break during the second period, Matt Hendricks would pot a goal in front of the net after some hard forechecking in the corners and Alex Ovechkin would add an empty-net goal, his 32nd of the season. Caps maul Panthers, 5-2.

The sign that willed Knuble's first period tally. (Photo credit: Cheryl Nichols)

• Please immediately go over to Knuble’s Knights’ blog and thank them for creating the good vibes surrounding the game’s first goal. Great work, guys!
• If there’s one person on earth who definitely doesn’t have eyes in the back of his head, it’d be Scott Clemmensen. Despite being a veteran of over 120 NHL games and previously apprenticing under future Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur, Clemmensen has somehow still not mastered how to defend plays behind the net, which I thought was a pretty basic thing. On Chimera’s power play goal, the thirty three-year old back-up goaltender guessed wrong on what Nick Backstrom was doing, and on Hendricks tally, he did not hold the post strong and watched another gimme go into the net. Sure, Florida’s defense has more holes in it than a gourmet slice of Swiss cheese, but Clemmensen did little to help give the rebuilding club a chance to win tonight.
• That reminds me. Time seriously flies. How has it been over a decade since I watched Panthers fans happily throw plastic rats onto the ice in the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals? For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, you can read up on the hilarious story here on Wikipedia. The Panthers organization has pretty much been stuck in disarray since then and I really feel sorry for the team’s hardcore fans. As a person who has rooted for the Orioles all my life and have suffered through their 13 consecutive losing seasons, it takes an emotional toll. I honestly hope the Panthers get it together. Though when the team gives away one of their best assets like Dennis Wideman — who still has another year left on his contract — for a third round pick and Jake Hauswirth, it’s really hard to see how their current regime could return the organization to greatness.
• The best news of the night: no one got injured. ::High Five::
• Washington has won four straight games and can drop out of first place only if it loses in regulation to Florida on Saturday and if the Philadelphia Flyers win their last two games. Sweet.
• During the game, Andrew Gordon announced on Twitter that he received his long-coveted “Magic Bullet” in the mail. God, I love this team.
• Per the Caps Media, Mike Knuble now has 13 points (9 goals, 4 assists) in his last 13 games. Brooks Laich has six points (all assists) during his current five-game point streak.
• In the first period, Scott Clemmensen faced six shots and let in two. On the opposite end of the ice, Semyon Varlamov stopped all 18 shots Florida threw at him. You can’t say this often, but tonight’s tilt was won in the first period. Varly, who made 31 saves, definitely deserved to be the game’s first star of the night.
• I personally was very happy to see Sean Collins net the game’s third goal. After talking to him in Hershey last year, the guy has really craved playing in the NHL since his 15-game stint in 2008-09. There was probably no one more enthused about tonight’s victory than him. Major props are also extended to Laich for collecting the puck that he scored the goal with and giving it to the training staff for Collins to keep forever.
• All this crashing of the net is getting me excited. It seems like every goal the Capitals have scored lately has been preceded by a power move towards the opponent’s crease.
• 

  Joe B. Suit of the Night (Who's that awesome guy in the middle?)

  For the second straight year, every Capitals home game was sold out, a streak now extending to 101 consecutive games. This IS a hockeytown.

• A few other nuggets: Marcus Johansson was two for nine in the faceoff dot. Matt Bradley had five hits in 12 minutes of ice time. Brooks Laich won nine of 12 draws. The Capitals are 39-0-3 when scoring three or more goals.

We’ll see you Saturday for the Capitals final tilt of the year in Sunrise. Then time for the PLAYOFFS!!!!!!!!!!@!@!@!!!!!

Hendy tells Sasha what we can only assume is “I freakin’ love you” after Semin scores the OTGWG.

Marcus Johansson writhes in pain after blocking a shot on the PK. (Photos by: Joel Auerbach)

Entering tonight’s game with the Florida Panthers, the Capitals only trailed the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning by one standings point for the Southeast Division lead. Karl Alzner told CSN before the game, “It’s nice to have that battle going on at the end of the season. In the end, I think it’s going to help us gear up for that playoff push.” After several years of dominating the division, coasting into the playoffs, and then losing in the early rounds, Alzner’s words are certainly reassuring from a fan’s perspective. Could this division battle down the stretch be everything that the Capitals need?

One thing that still needs to be corrected by the Capitals, however, if they have dreams of playing in June is their poor play in the first period. While they’ve noticeably ramped up their intensity in the game’s opening minutes, they still have had problems scoring the game’s first goal. Tonight, was no different.

Florida got off to an early 1-0 lead after taking advantage of a Dennis Wideman turnover in the offensive zone. After several attempts to get the puck deep and failing, Bill Thomas took the puck from Wideman, passed the puck up to teammate Michal Repik, and the two raced in alone on John Erskine and Michal Neuvirth. Erskine, who failed to take away the pass on the two-on-one, watched helplessly as Repik hit Thomas in stride and deposited the puck into the back of the net. The Capitals however, quickly responded a minute and 13 seconds later. After some powerful forechecking by Alex Ovechkin in the corners, Ovi found Nicklas Backstrom unguarded in the middle of the circles. Backstrom’s one-timer eluded Scott Clemmensen and the game was tied.

Scoring would not pick up until midway through the second period. At 10:02, John Carlson unleashed a slap shot that Clemmensen could not corral. The puck squirted out to Boyd Gordon in the slot, who suavely backhanded home his second goal of the year.

Things would then get dicey in the final minutes of the third period, as the Capitals would not be able to hold onto their one goal lead. After Erskine and Wideman took penalties, David Booth forced overtime by scoring in front of the net on the proceeding five-on-three powerplay. But that’s okay. Alex Semin is a stone cold pimp and ended it in overtime 28 48 seconds in. Caps top Cats, 3-2.

• Don’t look now, but the Capitals are finally starting to put it all together. They’ve won four in a row, six of seven, and are now in first place for the first time since December 29th.
• Though Boyd Gordon was given the hardhat for his play tonight, the Swedes were the ones who won my heart tonight. I must say, that was the most “North American” they’ve played all year. Nicklas Backstrom, who along with Mike Knuble had all five first period scoring chances, won 11 of 17 draws, forechecked tenaciously in the corners, and scored a beauty of a goal by over-powering Clemmensen in the slot. Marcus Johansson did me proud by blocking a shot on a first period penalty kill off of his right ankle. He laid on the ice in agony and had to be helped off the playing surface by team trainer Greg Smith and a teammate. For a guy who avoided contact in the corners in the beginning of the year, this is yet another example of how much this kid has grown as a player. What a great sacrifice of his body for the team. Low and behold, the hockey gods rewarded Johansson as he assisted Alex Semin on his OTGWG.

• The second line was thoroughly shut down tonight. Brooks Laich and Jason Arnott managed zero even strength scoring chances during the game, and the trio of players combined for only one shot: Semin’s game-winner in Overtime. While they didn’t produce a goal together, we must give them credit for taking the body hard and dishing out five hits.
• Alex Ovechkin continues to be awesome. Sure, he had an assist and four shots, but I was most impressed by how he continues to use the juggle-the-puck-in-mid-air-with-his-stick move while striding into the offensive zone like it’s no big deal. Sometimes when I watch him play, I just can’t believe what I’m seeing. Impossible things for most people are easy for the Russian Machine. His highlight reel will most certainly be Jordan-esque when he retires.
• John Erskine was on the ice for zero even strength scoring chances for, and eight against. Ouch.
• Everybody’s favorite grinder Matt Hendricks fought Kenndal McArdle. Unfortunately, it was not one of Hendy’s more impressive bouts as Locker entertained the idea that both combatants should have been given two minutes each for roughing while on air. Yikes.
• Florida learned that it’s a bad idea to pick on a superhero. John Carlson, who was hit twice (1, 2) violently by Steve Bernier, took a retaliatory cross-checking minor after the last hit. The Caps proceeded to kill of J-Car’s minor, and then on Carlson’s next shift, he unleashed a booming slap shot, the rebound of which went directly to Boyd Gordon for an easy goal. Lesson learned: Captain America doesn’t take %&^.
• Two boneheaded plays by Dennis Wideman led to both Florida goals tonight. Wideman’s offensive zone turnover in the first led to Bill Thomas’s first period goal, and his slashing penalty while on the penalty kill, put the Capitals two men down with three minutes left in the game. While those were tough plays, he still managed to play a great game while teamed up with Scott Hannan. Combined the two were on the ice for ten of twelve even strength scoring chances for, and only two of Florida’s twelve against.
• After today, the Capitals have given up four goals on thirteen opportunities while two men down. Crazily enough, David Booth has a pair of those goals.
• Overall, the Caps were outchanced 14 to 17, and had only one opportunity in the third which came with 16:43 left in the period.
• The Capitals fathers are on the current road trip and word on the street is that Bobby Orr, who is Tom Poti’s agent, was in the suite with them for a period or two. What a treat! Both Frank Fehr and Gunther Alzner also did fantastic intermission interviews with Joe Beninati. It’s nice that the Capitals could rally so that these guys could see a win!

Joe B.'s Suit of the Night

Boyd I Laich that we Arnott in second place anymore. The Capitals now turn their attention to the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow, where they will try to extend their division lead to three points and win both games of a back-to-back series for the second time this year.

These are absolutely the games you have to win down the stretch if you are going to be a division champion and a Stanley Cup contender. Can the Capitals do it? We’ll find out tomorrow. See you then.

Additional reporting by Neil Greenberg.