Tampa. Marcus Johansson and Niklas Backstrom know how to skin a Florida cat.
They shared a couple of goals as Washington took the lead in the playoff series against the hot favorites the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon.
Nicklas is very easy to play with, he’s always where he needs to be and always does what he has to do, Marcus told Sportbladet after the 6-1 hit.
It started smelling like huge explosions in their series matches Florida Panthers And Washington Capitals.
The Florida Cats won the regular season after impressive offensive displays all winter and entered the quarter-finals against Washington—eight in the Eastern table—as the frontrunners, but they couldn’t compete against the more experienced and scarred fighters from the playoff. The nation’s capital and after a massive celebration at Capital One Arena on Saturday, it looked bad.
We had a very good 60-minute game today, it feels good, but in qualifying the momentum is swinging here and there. They made some adjustments after the first game and we did some adjustments after the second game, says Marcus Johansson when we spoke to him after the final signal.
– Of course, we have a lot of routine, but we meet a very good team and everyone starts from scratch in the qualifiers. You have to be prepared for the fact that the next change is the one that always applies, no matter what happens.
“Feel good since they married us”
Mojo played him in a series with fellow countryman Niklas Backstrom and they seemed to thrive together. They were dangerous and involved the whole time – and logically they stood at four points. First he criticized Marcus in the second leg with a “Backs” shot he fired midway through the second half and shortly before the first half both assisted with a goal scored by Trevor van Rimsdijk.
– It’s felt so good since they paired us up at the end of the main series, somehow we still find each other very well, follows the 31-year-old from Skåne, who returned in relation to the trio at the end of March “home” for Washington after five years.
– Nicklas is very easy to play with, he is always where he should be and always does what he has to do and handles the disc brilliantly. As a fellow on the chain, it’s like just getting out and driving.
Match balls can be obtained
With Saturday’s win, the Capitals have a 2-1 lead in the series, and if they also win the next game on Monday, they’ll suddenly have an exciting match ball.
– Of course it will be nice, but it will require a lot. We played well and winning today doesn’t mean we automatically win next time either. We must be prepared to give everything for 60 minutes, or more if necessary, again, says Mojo.
Johan Larsson also contributed points in the third match in the form of a assist for the 6-1 goal that Garnet Hathaway scored in the last minute.