Panthers pull off stunning comeback in Game 5 against Caps

Washington Capitals fans who went to bed early on Wednesday night will wake up to some absolutely stunning news.

The Caps scored in the first period of Game 5 of their Eastern Conference First Round playoff series with the Panthers to lead 1-0. Washington added two more goals early in the second period to go up 3-0. Some Caps fans could have gone to bed at that point thinking they had the game in hand leading 3-0.

They wouldn’t believe what happened next.

The Panthers scored three goals in the second to tie the game. Then they added two more in the third period to go up 5-3, which was the final.

Yes, Florida scoring five unanswered goals to win 5-3 and take their first lead in a playoff series since 2012.

Carter Verhaeghe scored the first and fourth goals for the Panthers. He also assisted on three goals, meaning he had a hand in every point scored by his team in the comeback win. Verhaeghe’s five points are a Florida postseason record.

Florida won the Presidents’ Trophy this season but fell behind 2-1 in the series. They won Game 4 on Monday in OT and then rallied back for a big victory in Game 5. They’re finally starting to act like the team that racked up 122 points during the regular season. And Washington now heads home for Game 6 looking to tie the series after their big collapse.