Blues Edge Panthers

     The Florida Panthers began a three-game road swing with a 4-3 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on Tuesday night. This contest completed a home-and-home series between both clubs. 

     Florida(17-4-4) raced out to a 1-0 lead at 6:49 mark. Carter Verhaeghe pushed the puck from the left-wing board back to Maxim Mamin on the top left circle. His diagonal pass was guided in on a backhand shot by Aleksander Barkov from the right of the crease past Ville Husso for his 10th goal of the season. Barkov was making his return after missing eight games. 

     In the second period, St. Louis(13-8-4) tied it up 1-1 at 4:20.  Ivan Barbashev moved the puck from the right corner. Pavel Buchnevich fed the puck from the right of the cage and Vladimir Tarasenko snapped a shot from the right-circle dot by Spencer Knight for his eighth goal this season. 

     The tie did not last long as the Panthers got on the scoreboard again 52 seconds later to go up 2-1. Mamin centered the puck from below the left circle and Verhaeghe had his shot blocked in the slot area. Brandon Montour followed and fired a wrist shot from above the right circle for his third tally of the campaign.  

     It became 2-2 with 6:26 left in the second as the Blues scored on a power play. Jordan Kyrou connected a cross-ice pass from the left circle to the right circle. Tarasenko sent the puck toward the net and Brayden Schenn redirected it in from the crease for his fourth goal this year. 

     St. Louis got their first lead of the contest 3-2 at 6:48 of the third period. Logan Brown centered the puck from the left corner and Barbashev took a snap shot from the low slot that was deflected in by Brandon Saad for his 11th goal of the season. 

     The Cats evened it up 3-3 with 5:32 remaining. Jonathan Huberdeau threaded a pass from the right circle to the left circle. Radko Gudas angled a pass to the right of the crease and Huberdeau tipped it in. It was his 10th point in the last four games and now he has 18 points in 13 contests. 

     The Blues quickly scored 53 seconds into overtime to win the game. Colton Parayko received a pass from Kyrou at the center circle. Buchnevich then rocketed into the Panthers zone, through the left circle, around the Panthers net and placed in a wraparound shot for his 10th goal with his new team.