Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell and A.J. Greer each had a goal and an assist for the Panthers (25-19-3), who were coming off a 9-1 loss at the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday and finished 3-3-0 on their six-game road trip. Sam Reinhart had two assists, and Daniil Tarasov made 22 saves in his first game since Jan. 4.

The Washington Capitals visit the Colorado Avalanche after Jakob Chychrun scored two goals in the Capitals' 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers.

WASHINGTON — Jakob Chychrun, a new father after a busy week, used his new dad strength to his advantage to help spark the Washington Capitals against the Florida Panthers. Ultimately, though, it wasn't enough.

Finding the back of the net in the second straight game after putting pen to paper on a two-year contract extension, Uvis Balinskis sent the Panthers ahead when he beat Thompson with a rocket of a shot from beyond the circles on the power play to make it 3-2 at 15:16. Balinskis makes it 3-2 against the Capitals.

The Florida Panthers wanted to put the stink of Friday night’s blowout loss in Raleigh behind them and a fast and dominant start against the Washington Capitals on Saturday did just that. Only playing a strong offensive game and actually scoring goals took a minute.

The Caps were hoping to get right at home before heading out on a six-game trip. Instead, they’ve lost two of three and are 4-5-1 over their past 10.

BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Capitals and the Florida Panthers hit the ice in Eastern Conference play. Washington has gone 14-9-3 in home games and 24-18-6 overall. The Capitals have a 10-11-6 record in games their opponents serve fewer penalty minutes.

Sam Bennett had a goal and two assists as the Florida Panthers defeated the Washington Capitals 5-2 in Washington, with Balinskis and Greer also scoring.

The Stanley Cup Champions are returning to the White House, meeting the president for a second consecutive year before a pair of crucial road games.

Closing out their season series, the Panthers have gone 2-0-0 against the Capitals this season. Defending home ice each time, the Panthers won 6-3 on Nov. 13 and then 5-3 on Dec. 29, with both games being played at Amerant Bank Arena.