Panthers Breeze By Senators

     The Florida Panthers compiled four goals during the second period and handled the Ottawa Senators 6-3 on Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre. It was the first game played this calendar year and this decade by both clubs.
     The scoring began with a power-play goal for Florida(21-14-5) at the 1:41. Keith Yandle forwarded it from the right point and Mike Hoffman in the low right circlle. His centering pass went to Evegenii Dadonov and he chalked up his 15th goal of the season with a wrist shot from the left of the crease past Craig Anderson.
     Ottawa(16-20-5) evened it up 1-1 at 10:59. After an Anton Stralman turnover, Nick Paul advanced the puck from the high slot to the low left circle and Tyler Ennis flicked a backhand shot by Sergei Bobrovsky.
     The Sens took a 2-1 lead with 4:21 remaining in the first. Ennis kicked the puck ahead in the neutral zone. Anthony Duclair raced through the right circle and backhanded a cross-ice pass from Chris Tierney to score on a snap shot.
     In the second period, the Panthers scored again with the man advantage at 8:54. Alekander Barkov won the faceoff to Yandle. He connected a pass to Jonathan Huberdeau and he found Dadovov for his second goal of the contest and tied the team-high with his 16th goal.
     The Cats added another tally 89 seconds later to make it 3-2 as all five attackers touched the puck on the play. Stralman sent it from the high slot to Vincent Trocheck below the left circle. He squared a pass to the top of the crease where Noel Acciari steered the puck into the Senators cage.
     Florida expanded it to 4-2 with 51.1 seconds to go in the frame. Dominic Toninato flipped the puck to center ice. Dadonov skated with it down the left wing and moved it to Frank Vatrano in the slot area for a slap shot.
     They increased it to a two-goal gap with 4.5 seconds left in the second. Brian Boyle stole the puck on the right-wing boards and stroked it to Mark Pysyk in the right corner. He fed the it to Colton Sceviour for a one-time shot from close range.
     The Senators cut it to 5-3 with 2:45 remaining in the third. Ennis carried the puck from the right corner to behind the Panthers cage and blindly sent a pass in front to Connor Brown for the goal from the right of the crease.
     Jonathan Huberdeau sailed the puck from his own blue line into an empty net with 1:46 left for a 6-3 lead. Riley Stillman compiled his first NHL point with an assist on the play.