Capitals 3, Panthers 2 (OT)
Alexander Semin scored just 48 seconds into overtime as the Washington Capitals reclaimed sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division with a 3-2 road triumph over the Florida Panthers on Sunday.
Nicklas Backstrom collected his 17th goal of the season and second in as many games and Boyd Gordon also tallied for Washington (36-20-10), which has won four in a row and six of seven to move past the idle Tampa Bay Lightning (37-21-7).
In overtime, Semin's sharp-angle blast beat Scott Clemmensen for his 23rd goal of the season.
Making his sixth straight start, Michal Neuvirth turned aside 32 shots to pick up the victory. The 22-year-old netminder has yielded just seven goals during his personal four-game winning streak.
The Panthers had leveled the contest at 2-2 with a power-play goal by David Booth with 2:36 remaining in the third period.
With the game tied at 1-1, defenseman John Carlson wired a shot which was denied by Clemmensen. Gordon alertly backhanded the rebound into the net for his second goal of the season and first in 26 career outings against the Panthers.
Bill Thomas netted his third goal of the season and Clemmensen stopped 22 shots for Florida (26-31-9), which has dropped five in a row and 18 of its last 23 games.