The Florida Panthers hosted the National Hockey League's newest expansion franchise the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night at BB&T Center and won 4-3 overtime. The Panthers retired the number 37 jersey for original owner H. Wayne Huizenga in a pre-game ceremony prior to the contest.
Huizenga was the majority owner of the team from their inception until after the 2001-02 season. He joins Bill Torrey as the only uniform numbers retired by the club. Torrey had number 93 retired for him by the team on October 23, 2010.
The Golden Knights are on pace to pass Florida for the most points by a first-year expansion franchise in NHL history. The Panthers compiled 83 points in their inaugural season back in 1993-94 and there is a banner currently hanging in the rafters that shows it. Former Panthers head coach Gerard Gallant, right wing Reilly Smith and center Jonathan Marchessault returned to Sunrise for the first time.
Florida(19-19-6) put in a tally on their first shot of the contest at 3:15 of the first period. Nick Bjugstad softly passed the puck from the left goal line on net and Malcolm Subban paddled it out. Jamie McGinn pounced on the rebound and scored from the top of the crease for his sixth goal of the campaign.
Vegas(30-11-4) answered back with 5:38 left in the frame. Erik Haula carried the puck down the right wing and stopped at the hash marks. His centering pass glanced off the stick of Brad Hunt in the high slot and David Perron followed with a high one-time slap shot past James Reimer.
The Golden Knights went on their first power play and surrendered a shorthanded goal with 4:05 remaining in the first. Vincent Trocheck rushed up the right side on a 2-on-1 breakaway and released a shot from the slot area. Aleksander Barkov poked in the rebound from the left of the crease for his 15th goal of the season.
In the second period, Vegas evened it up 2-2 at the 6:57 mark. Smith sent a lead pass to Shea Theodore on the left wing and he centered it. William Karlsson scored the goal from the right of the crease for his team-leading 25th goal.
Florida was able to regain the lead 3-2 at 3:35 of the third period. Keith Yandle dropped the puck back to Barkov in the high slot and he snapped a shot that Subban saved. Evgenii Dadonov smacked in the rebound from the low right circle for his 10th goal of the year.
The Golden Knights tied it up with 2:09 left in the third. James Neal faked a shot from the top right circle, went around one defender and then scored on a wrist shot from the slot area. Neal chalked up his 20th goal of the season.
The contest went into overtime and the Cats took it 40 second in. Barkov placed a shot on net from close range and then Aaron Ekblad slapped in the rebound from the low slot.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment