Panthers Run Through Coyotes

     The Florida Panthers returned to South Florida following a four-game west coast road trip and topped the Arizona Coyotes 4-2 on Thursday night at BB&T Center. The Panthers stopped a two-game losing streak and have won five of their last seven games. The Coyotes continue a four-game road swing on the east coast.
     Florida(33-29-12) went on their first power play of the contest and Arizona(36-32-6) scored a shorthanded goal at 7:45 of the first period. Michael Grabner stole the puck from Jonathan Huberdeau on the left point. He skated through the neutral zone and into the Panthers zone on a breakaway. He snapped a shot from the low slot past Roberto Luongo for his ninth goal of the year.
     The Cats got on the scoreboard during the first with 14.6 seconds left. Evgenii Dadonov went into the Coyotes zone on the left side and dropped the puck off to Huberdeau at the left point. His cross-ice pass got to Alekander Barkov in the high slot and he released a wrist shot by Darcy Kuemper. He and Huberdeau became the first Panthers teammates to score at 80 points in a season. It was the 33rd goal of the season for Barkov.
     In the second period, the Cats took their first lead 2-1 on the man advantage with 9:05 remaining. Keith Yandle was at the top of the zone and angled a pass to Huberdeau at the top left circle. His diagonal pass went to Mike Hoffman and he blasted a one-time slapshot from the right circle for his 34th goal of the season.
     Yandle passed Robert Svehla for most points by a Panthers defenseman with 57. Svehla set the mark back in 1995-96. Yandle also surpassed Olli Jokinen for the most power-play points in a season with 38.  
     Florida expanded it to a two-goal gap at 5:09 of the third period. Dadonov got the puck on the left wing and found Hubedeau at the top left circle. He connected a pass to MacKenzie Weegar above the top right circle and Weegar scored his fourth goal of the campaign on a snap shot.
     Arizona added an extra attacker as Kuemper left the cage open. It worked as Brad Richardson pounded in a slapshot from the high left circle with 2:26 left for an unassisted goal.
     The Coyotes pulled their goalie for a second time, however they could not tie the game. Barkov skated through center ice to the right circle and backhanded the puck into an empty net with 50 seconds left for his second tally of the game and 34th goal of the season.