Panthers Hook Sharks

     The Florida Panthers handled the San Jose Sharks 5-3 at SAP Center on Monday. It was the second daytime contest for the Panthers in the last three days. It was also the first stop of a five-game road trip for the Cats.
     In the first period, Florida(31-22-6) took a 1-0 lead at the 4:52 mark. Aaron Ekblad made an outlet pass from his own zone to Evgenii Dadonov at the red line. He passed to his right and Frank Vatrano backhanded a centering pass from the right circle. Dadonov was stopped on a backhand shot from the crease area, but put the puck into the cage past Aaron Dell on a forehand shot for his 24th goal of the season. Ekblad reached a career-high with his 28th assist of the season.
     San Jose(26-29=4) tied the game 1-1 with 8:30 left in the first. Dominic Toninato lost the puck to Alexander True on the end wall and it popped into the low left circle area. Antii Suomela tipped it back and Dylan Gambrell snapped a shot from the slot by Sergei Bobrovsky.
     The Panthers reclaimed the lead 2-1 with 9:00 remaining in the second period. Mike Hoffman intercepted a cross-ice pass from Brent Burns at the top of the Florida zone. He went on a breakaway and slipped the puck in from the top of the crease for his 22nd goal of the campaign.
     Neither team would score again until midway into third period when Florida made it a two-goal lead. Ekblad advanced the puck from his own goal line to Denis Malgin in the neutral zone and his backhand pass went to Colton Sceviour. He entered the San Jose zone, released a snap shot from the high slot, gained the rebound and guided a backhand shot from the low slot for a tally at the 10:04 mark.
     The Sharks cut it down to 3-2 while on the power play at 14:34. Burns keep in an Ekblad clearing pass at the top of the zone and he angled a pass to his right. A Kevin Lebanc wrist shot went off the body of MacKenzie Weegar and sailed into the Panthers cage.
     It became a 4-2 Florida lead with 2:54 to go. Alekander Barkov made a lead pass out of the zone to Jonathan Huberdeau. He carried the puck into the Sharks zone to the left wing, connected a diagonal pass to top slot and Anton Stralman fired a slap shot for his fifth goal. Huberdeau chalked up his team-leading 50th assist while Barkov got his 40th assist on the play.
     San Jose pulled their goalie for an extra attacker and it worked immediately with 1:40 remaining and they were down 4-3. Burns sent a cross-ice pass out of their zone to Joe Thornton at the Panthers blue line. His diagonal pass found Timo Meier and he shoveled in a backhand shot from the right of the crease.
     They tried it again, however the Panthers finished off the contest on an empty-goal with five seconds left. Keith Yandle angled a pass from his own right circle to his left. Vincent Trocheck took a shot from the red line that trickled through the skates of Marc Edouard-Vlasic and into the net.