Eetu Luostarinen scored the go-ahead goal with 13:50 left in the third period as the Florida Panthers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 on Friday night in Sunrise, Fla.
Sergei Bobrovsky was spectacular in goal, making 26 saves, as the Panthers ended a 2-1-0 homestand.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Aleksander Barkov (empty-netter) had Florida’s other goals, and Anton Lundell added two assists.
Former Panthers forward Reilly Smith scored for the Penguins, who lost their fourth straight game (0-2-2) — their longest skid of the season. The Penguins have also lost nine of their past 12 games (3-6-3).
The Penguins went 0-for-3 on the power play. Over the past 13 games, Pittsburgh is 0-for-36 with the man advantage.
Tristan Jarry made 30 saves for the Penguins. However, Penguins star Sidney Crosby, who leads the team with 15 goals, was held without a point.
The first period featured no scoring and just one penalty, as Barkov was called for hooking on Crosby. Pittsburgh got two shots on goal during the power play, but Bobrovsky saved both.
Then, with 14:50 left in the second period, the Penguins had a great chance on Jake Guentzel’s breakaway, but Bobrovsky blocked Guentzel’s forehand-to-backhand move.
Finally, with 11:55 remaining in the second, the Penguins made it 1-0 on Smith’s backhander that was slipped in five-hole. Evgeni Malkin had the primary assist with a great pass from along the right boards.
The Panthers tied the score with 2:56 left in the second as Ekman-Larsson shoved in a loose puck. The goal came nine seconds after Florida failed to score on a power play.
On the go-ahead goal, Lundell won a faceoff, Evan Rodrigues shot the puck and Luostarinen batted in a mid-air rebound, scoring just below the crossbar.
With 2:39 left in the third, Lundell was called for hooking Guentzel. Sam Reinhart nearly scored short-handed on a breakaway, but Jarry stopped him.
With two minutes left, Pittsburgh pulled Jarry for a six-on-four advantage. However, Barkov sealed the win with his empty-net goal 27 seconds before the final buzzer.
–Field Level Media
