Panthers Quiet Ducks

     It was a battle between two teams that were celebrating their 20th NHL campaigns as the Florida Panthers came from behind to beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 on Tuesday night at BB&T Center. Teemu Selanne made his final appearance in South Florida as he will retire at the end of the 2013-14 season.
     The Ducks, who lead the NHL standings with 31 points, had won five of the last six meetings between both clubs prior to this game. The Panthers ended a nine-game winless streak and got their first win under new head coach Peter Horachek.
     Anaheim(15-4-1) put the puck in the net on their first shift. It happened 40 seconds into the first period as Andrew Cogliano lifted a wrist shot from the left of the crease over the body of Panther goalie Tim Thomas. He got the feed from Daniel Winnik in the right corner.
     The Ducks extended their margin to 2-0 at 14:26 of the first. Hampus Lindholm fired a wrist shot from top left circle by the glove of Thomas after he received a pass from Nick Bonino from the right circle. It was his second goal ever in the NHL.
     Florida(4-11-4) picked up two goals within 50 seconds during the second period. Brian Campbell sent a pass from the left point to Shawn Matthias in the slot area and spun around with a backhand shot by Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen at 13:28. It was his second goal this season and first in seven games since October 27 against Tampa Bay.
     The Cats tied it up at 2-2 at 14:38 when Scottie Upshall threw a shot on net from the right point that bounced off a defender in the crease area and into the cage for his third tally this year.
     The Panthers took their first lead of the contest with 15:31 remaining in the third period. Bryan Allen gave the puck away on a cross-ice pass from his own left corner. Upshall carried it across the low slot and flipped a pass ahead to Brad Boyes at the edge of the crease where he scored for his sixth goal this season.
     Neither team converted on the power play as the Cats were 0-for-4 and the Ducks were 0-for-3. Thomas moved his record to 3-5-0 as he made 32 saves while Andersen, who stopped 22 shots, chalked up his first loss in the NHL after he began the season with six consecutive wins.