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SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers enjoyed themselves on Sunday with a comeback win against the Islanders on the night they celebrated Dmitry Kulikov’s 1,000th NHL game before flying to Washington for a Monday visit to the White House.
The defending Stanley Cup champions normally would have flown to Washington on Monday afternoon.
Due to their special stop at the White House with the Stanley Cup, the Panthers flew out late Sunday night.
They had some business to take care of first.
After beating the Islanders 6-3, the team gathered inside the Amerant Bank Arena to toast Kulikov after he played in his milestone game Wednesday against the Los Angeles Kings.
Kulikov was honored by the Panthers before Sunday’s win against the Islanders with the team holding a special on-ice ceremony after wearing his No. 7 jerseys in their warmup.
“I love it for the kids,’’ said Paul Maurice, referring to Kulikov’s two children being gifted mini versions of the traditional silver stick that he got from Bill Zito.
“The families don’t get to really be a part of a lot of things and then they get down on the ice for a pretty special night there last year. It’s a wonderful thing for the kids to be able to stand there and have their father recognized for such an accomplishment. I’m happy for him and his family.”
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After hanging out with Kulikov, his family, and other invited guests, the team headed to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
The Panthers took a later-than-usual flight to Dulles for today’s afternoon session at the White House.
The Florida Panthers will be the first 2023-24 championship team to be celebrated at the White House under the new administration.
The Boston Celtics were honored for their 2024 NBA title at the White House in November.
Before leaving, the Panthers had a bit of a fight on their hands.
The Islanders had won seven straight, including 3-2 in overtime the night before in Tampa.
Despite having two of their top players out due to injuries sustained against the Lightning — and, starting a goalie making his NHL debut — the Islanders gave Florida all it could handle.
Carter Verhaeghe scored the first two of his three goals in the opening period against Jakub Skarek, only New York stormed back in the second with three straight goals.
Evan Rodrigues tied the score at 3 at 17:52 of the second by snaring a rebound of Anton Lundell’s shot and slid a backhand past the sprawling stick of Skarek.
Sam Reinhart made it 4-3 with 51 seconds left in the period, finishing off a rush he started by tapping in a pass from Gus Forsling.
The Panthers never trailed again.
“After the first period, we had to come back,” said Islanders coach Patrick Roy, the Hall of Famer who swept the Panthers in the 1996 Stanley Cup Final with Colorado.
“And it’s too bad. We took a 3-2 lead and there is a reason why they won the Stanley Cup, isn’t there? They are a good team, a team plays the right way and are very disciplined in their structure. We learned a lot tonight.”
Verhaeghe made it 5-3 to get his fourth career hat trick, and Matthew Tkachuk polished the game portion of the night with an empty-net goal.
“It was nice,’’ Verhaeghe said. “I’ve been shooting a lot lately and to get a couple, it feels pretty good. Our team is playing really well. I’m getting some chemistry with Barkov and Reinhart out there and it’s really nice that they’re finding me in great areas.”
The Panthers have won three straight going to Washington, and hold a three-point lead in the Atlantic Division on the Maple Leafs.
The Panthers visit the Capitals on Tuesday night.
“I think the games where we come to play right from the start is where we are at our best,” Verhaeghe said.
“It is kind of a mindset thing we like to have, and we had it tonight.’’
ON DECK: GAME No. 55
FLORIDA PANTHERS at WASHINGTON CAPITALS
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