In a clash of early-season titans, the Florida Panthers scored four first-period goals, ending the Carolina Hurricanes’ perfect season with a 5-2 victory on Saturday night in Sunrise, Fla.
Anthony Duclair scored twice for the Panthers, who improved to 10-0-1. Carolina is now 9-1-0.
Florida chased Frederik Andersen, who had been the hottest goalie in the NHL. Initially, Andersen lasted just one period, stopping 11 of 15 shots. But Andersen re-entered the game with 12:22 gone in the second period after his replacement, Antti Raanta, was injured during a collision with Florida’s Ryan Lomberg.
Raanta stopped all four shots he faced.
The Panthers prevailed without their best player, center and team captain Aleksander Barkov, who sat due to a previously undisclosed lower-body injury. Also due to injuries, the Panthers were without their top goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky, and top-six forward Sam Bennett.
Florida got those first-period goals from Duclair, Frank Vatrano, Anton Lundell and Patric Hornqvist. The Panthers went 3-for-4 on the power play in the opening period, producing a 15-6 shots-on-goal advantage.
The Panthers also got 29 saves from rookie goalie Spencer Knight.
Former Panthers standout Vincent Trocheck scored one of Carolina’s goals. Jesper Fast had the other.
Duclair needed just 2:28 to put the Panthers on the board as his wrist shot sailed over Andersen’s glove. Duclair’s blast happened just one second before Jaccob Slavin — who was in the penalty box for tripping Carter Verhaeghe — could get back on the ice.
After Steven Lorentz was called for hooking Eetu Luostarinen, Florida’s power play was back at work again. With 10:02 expired, Vatrano took a pass from Brandon Montour and scored on a one-timer from just beyond the right circle.
Just over three minutes later, the Panthers scored at even strength as Lundell pounced on a loose puck following a Carolina turnover.
Florida’s barrage finally ended on Hornqvist’s power-play tap-in goal with 4:32 left in the first.
Carolina mounted a comeback as Fast took a pass from Slavin and scored on a one-timer from the low slot, 7:01 into the second period.
The Hurricanes, awarded a five-minute power play after the Lomberg hit on Raanta, got just Trocheck’s tap-in goal during that span, cutting their deficit to 4-2.
But Duclair’s second goal, this one with 59 seconds left in the third period, iced the game.
–Field Level Media
