Panthers Beat Habs On New Year's Eve

It was the traditional New Year's Eve game at the Bank Atlantic Center and the Montreal Canadiens disappointed their transplanted fans as they were edged by the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Saturday night. The Habs got on the scoreboard 5:37 into the game. Travis Moen finished off a give-and-go with Lars Eller in the neutral zone and blasted a shot from the top left circle for a 1-0 lead. Florida held Montreal to only two shots on goal after more than 16 minutes into the game, but the Canadiens had the lead after one period. At 3:46 of the second period, Tomas Fleischmann received a drop pass from Stephen Weiss as fired a high shot from the top right circle that grazed off Carey Price's right arm and into the net. The power play goal to tie the game was Fleischmann's 14th tally of the season. Jose Theodore was hurt on a play at 8:04 with a lower body injury and had to leave the game. He was replaced by Scott Clemmensen in net. Florida took their first lead of the game at 3:08 of the third period as Shawn Matthias streaked through the neutral zone and shot the puck from top left circle. It deflected off P.K Subban's stick and went underneath the left arm of Price. The game was not decided until the Canadiens pulled their goalie in the final minute. Fleischmann stripped the puck from Tomas Plekanec in the neutral zone, skated it up the ice and flicked a shot from the left-wing boards into the open net at 19:19 for his second goal of the game. Montreal surprisingly came back just eleven seconds later after the center ice face-off as Eric Cole raced down the right side and lifted a shot that got past Clemmensen. The Florida, now 8-1-2 when tied after two periods, remain in first place in the Southeast Division by four points over the Winnipeg Jets at the end of 2011. The Panthers don't play again until Thursday when they face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.