Anton Lundell scored the deciding goal in the shootout, leading the host Florida Panthers past the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on Thursday night in Sunrise, Fla.
Florida’s Sam Reinhart posted two goals – No. 40 and 41 – and one assist.
Reinhart ended a seven-game goal drought. He also joined Pavel Bure, Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe as the only 40-goal scorers in Panthers history. Bure did it twice.
On his first tally, it was Reinhart’s 23rd power-play goal of the season, which leads the NHL and is a Panthers record. He added his fifth shorthanded goal, which is tied for the NHL lead.
Aleksander Barkov scored in regulation for the Panthers, and he had the other successful Florida shot in the four-round shootout.
Barkov has 24 goals in 34 career games versus Montreal.
Panthers backup goalie Anthony Stolarz made 28 saves through overtime to earn the win.
Montreal, which has lost six of its past seven games, got one goal each from Alex Newhook, Nick Suzuki and 19-year-old Juraj Slafkovsky. Sam Montembeault – a former Panthers goalie — made 32 saves.
Suzuki, who also had two assists, leads Montreal in goals (24) and points (59). Slafkovsky, the NHL’s No. 1 overall pick in 2022, has 13 goals.
Florida opened the scoring on a two-on-one rush with 7:01 expired in the first. Reinhart fed Barkov, whose shot from the left circle went in off Montembeault’s left arm.
Montreal got even just 83 seconds later as Arber Xhekaj’s stretch pass led to a Suzuki breakaway. Suzuki’s shot went in over Stolarz’s glove.
Before that play, Stolarz had gone more than 147 minutes without allowing an even-strength goal.
The Panthers extended their lead to 2-1 on Reinhart’s power-play goal with 5:52 left in the second. Tkachuk got the primary assist as his pass set up Reinhart in the slot.
Montreal tied the score 2-2 with just 0.7 seconds left in the second. Suzuki won a faceoff and got the puck to Slafkovsky, whose shot from just above the left circle found its way through a maze of bodies.
Montreal took a 3-2 lead on Newhook’s power-play goal with 16:33 left in the third. Suzuki won a board battle, and Cole Caufield fed to Newhook, who scored from the slot.
Florida tied the score with 6:55 left on Reinhart’s shorthanded goal, beating Montembeault on the short side.
–Field Level Media
