Thursday, December 29, 2022

Barkov Hat Trick And Panthers Sack Habs

     Aleksander Barkov returned to the lineup after 12 days and compiled a hat trick in the opening period as the Florida Panthers outlasted the Montreal Canadiens 7-2 on Thursday night at FLA Live Arena. It was the fastest hat trick by a Florida Panthers player to begin a game in franchise history.
     Barkov had a hat trick against the Canadiens in Sunrise back on February 17, 2019. The Cats will play their final game of the 2022 calendar year at the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night. 
     Florida(16-16-4) rocketed out to a 1-0 lead just 2:37 into the first period. Barkov won the faceoff in the left circle and Carter Verhaeghe passed it back to Gustav Forsling on the left point. His slap shot was deflected in by Barkov from the low slot past Sam Montembeault for his seventh goal of the season. 
     The Panthers made it 2-0 on the power play with 8:10 left in the first. Matthew Tkachuk tapped the puck from the right goal line. Sam Reinhart connected a cross-ice pass from the right circle and Barkov snapped a shot from the left circle for his second tally of the contest and eighth goal of the campaign. Barkov passed Scott Mellanby for the most power-play goals in Florida franchise history with 67. 
     Montreal(15-18-3) scored a power-play goal with 5:46 to go in the period and were down 2-1. Former Panthers player Mike Hoffman sent a pass and Arber Xhekaj shot the puck by Sergei Bobrovsky for his fifth goal this year.  
     Barkov got the hat trick with 4:38 remaining in the first period and extended the Panthers lead to 3-1. He flipped a shot from the right of the crease for third of the game and ninth goal of the season. 
     The Canadiens took advantage of a long four-minute power play with 46.1 seconds left in the frame and converted. Xhekaj passed from the left point to the right point and Hoffman blasted a slap shot. Josh Anderson poked in the rebound from the top of the crease for his ninth goal of the year. 
     In the second period, the Cats found the net again with the man advantage at the 6:22 mark for a 4-2 lead. Barkov moved the puck from the right point to Brandon Montour at the top of the zone. His slap shot was redirected in by Tkachuk in the low slot for his 16th goal this season. 
     It became 5-2 for the Panthers at the 4:14 mark of the third period. Verhaeghe collected his 18th goal of the campaign on a shot from close range. 
     Florida increased it to 6-2 at 7:24 of the third. Montour passed the puck and Barkov released a snap shot from left circle. Tkachuk eventually put in the rebound from the blue paint for his second goal of the contest and 17th goal this season. Barkov was credited with his fifth point of the game on that play. 
     The Habs trailed 7-2 with 10:29 left in the period. Montour sent a long lead pass from the Panthers zone. Sam Bennett went down the right side into the Canadiens zone on a two-on-one breakaway. He slid the puck across the low slot and Eetu Luostarinen one-timed a shot for his ninth goal. 

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