Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Panthers Slip By Hurricanes

     The Florida Panthers overcame the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in overtime at PNC Center on Wednesday night. Florida regained first place in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference. It was the first time that the Panthers played a game in over two weeks. 
     Carolina(32-11-4) took a 1-0 lead with 45.7 seconds remaining in the first period. Jacob Slavin backhanded the puck from the low slot wide right of the cage.  passed from the right circle to Sebastian Aho passed from the end wall and Teuvo Teravainen snapped a shot by Sergei Bobrovsky for his 12th goal this season. 
     Florida(33-10-5) evened it up 1-1 with 6:51 to go in the second period. Aaron Ekblad and Jonathan Huberdeau poked the puck ahead in the neutral zone. Aleksander Barkov skated with the puck into the Canes zone, made a behind-the-back pass to himself in the high slot and backhanded a shot from the inner right circle past Frederik Andersen his 22nd goal of the season. 
     In the third period, the Hurricanes reclaimed the lead 2-1 at the 3:13 mark. Nino Niederreiter guided the puck from the right corner. Jordan Staal carried it around the Panthers cage and sent it to the left point. Tony DeAngelo blasted a slap shot that went off the right foot of Gustav Forsling and into the net. It turned out to be his ninth tally of the campaign. 
     The Panthers pulled their goalie for an extra attacker and it worked. They tied it 2-2 with 48.3 seconds left in the third. Ekblad placed a square pass from the left point and MacKenzie Weegar fired a snap shot. It bounced off a defender in the low slot and Sam Reinhart scored his 17th goal this season as he lifted a wrist shot from the left circle. 
     Florida would get the victory just 16 seconds into overtime. Huberdeau sent a long lead pass from his own left circle down the ice. Ekblad received it behind the defense and went on a breakaway. He put in a backhand shot for his 11th goal of the year. Barkov was credited with a secondary assist on the play. Huberdeau compiled his NHL-leading 49th assist on the game-winning goal. 

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