Tkachuk Hat Trick And Panthers Jump Coyotes

     Matthew Tkachuk compiled his first hat trick with his new club as the Florida Panthers got a 5-3 victory over the Arizona Coyotes at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday night. The Panthers will play nine of their next 11 games on the road. 

     Florida(17-18-4) blasted out to a 1-0 lead at 1:09 of the first period. Gustav Forsling fired a slap shot from the left point which was saved by Karel Vejmelka. Aleksander Barkov made a square pass from the low slot and Matthew Tkachuk put in a one-time shot from the low right circle. 

     The Panthers expanded it to 2-0 with 8:39 left in the first. Marc Staal carried the puck from the right point to the middle and took a shot. After a Vejmelka save, Eric Staal waited and released a wrist shot from the low right circle. It was his fourth goal in the last seven contests and 446th career goal. 

     Arizona(13-18-5) picked up a power-play goal with 2.1 seconds remaining in the period and trailed 2-1. Nick Schmaltz advanced the puck from the top right circle to Clayton Keller on the right goal line. His centering pass was tapped in by Jakob Chychrun from the blue paint. 

     In the second period, the Coyotes evened it up 1-1 at the 5:17 mark. Juuso Valimaki passed from the left wing. Keller skated with the puck through the high slot and backhanded a shot from the top right circle past Spencer Knight for his 14th goal of the campaign. 

     The Cats reclaimed the lead 3-2 with 9:23 to go in the second. Josh Mahura connected a diagonal pass from the left wing. Tkachuk snapped a shot from the right of the crease for his second tally of the game and 19th goal of the season. 

     The Yotes answered back to tie it 3-3 with 6:01 remaining in the period. Jack McBain backhanded the puck from the left corner. J.J. Moser took a slap shot from the left point and it was deflected in from the top of the crease by former Panther Nick Bjugstad with his 10th goal. 

     It became 4-3 for Florida with 3:59 left in the second. Tkachuk sent a cross-ice pass from the left circle to Ryan Lomberg at the right circle. He pushed it to the middle and Staal powered in his second goal of the game. 

     Tkachuk got his first trick in a Florida uniform with 30.4 seconds remaining in the second and gave them a 5-3 lead. Knight sent a long lead pass from the Panthers zone to Sam Reinhart at the Coyotes blue line. He sailed a pass to the top the of the crease and Tkachuk scored on his own rebound for his 20th goal this season. Knight was credited with his first NHL assist on the play.