Yandle has goal, 2 assists in Panthers' 4-2 win over Sabres

By JOHN WAWROW
AP Hockey Writer

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Keith Yandle and the Florida Panthers took advantage of the undisciplined Buffalo Sabres in the first period. And then the Panthers stood their ground once things got chippy in the final two minutes.

Yandle scored a goal and had two assists, and Harri Sateri stopped the final 19 shots he faced - and 30 overall - in a 4-2 victory in a game that finished with officials issuing four major penalties - three to Sabres players - on Thursday night.

"Yeah, that was one of those games that got out of hand a little bit with some cheap stuff," Yandle said. "But the big thing is finding a way to win, and we did a good job of that."

The Panthers scored three times - including two power-play goals - in a span of 7 minutes, 5 seconds to build a 3-1 lead in the first period. Then emotions began flaring once Colton Sceviour sealed the win by sneaking in a backhand shot with 2:24 remaining in the third.

The most serious scuffle involved Buffalo forward Johann Larsson, who was issued a 10-minute match penalty and 5-minute major for cross-checking Vincent Trocheck across the face with 35 seconds left. Larsson's hit came after Trocheck slashed Buffalo defenseman Jake McCabe at the Florida blue line.

Some 90 seconds earlier, Sabres forward Evander Kane was issued a major penalty for interference for his blindside hit on Aleksander Barkov just inside Buffalo's blue line. Barkov had just released a pass and was pushed back by a hit from Buffalo's Marco Scandella, before being immediately bowled over by Kane, who was following the play.

Kane was then confronted by Florida's Nick Bjugstad with the two exchanging punches in the corner.

Yandle took exception to Kane's hit, accusing the forward of "kind of running around and being stupid."

Kane defended himself by saying he couldn't have avoided Barkov, who was already falling backward.

"I didn't really see them," Kane said.

Larsson said he doesn't believe he did anything to justify the match penalty, even though replays showed him striking Trocheck in the face.

"The guy came right at me and I pushed him a little bit," Larsson said, who faces a one-game misconduct pending an NHL review on Friday.

Trocheck was not penalized for his slash on McCabe. McCabe was issued a 5-minute fighting major, as was Panthers defenseman Alexander Petrovic. Florida forward Micheal Haley then picked up a 10-minute misconduct for sparking a scuffle in front of the Buffalo net with 3 seconds left.

Mike Matheson and Denis Malgin also scored for the Panthers, who won consecutive games for the first time since winning five in a row from Dec. 19-30. Sateri, a 28-year-old NHL rookie, won his second career game with starter Roberto Luongo and backup James Reimer both sidelined with lower-body injuries.

Ryan O'Reilly and Zemgus Girgensons scored, and Chad Johnson stopped 28 shots for a Sabres team that continues to struggle at home. Buffalo ranks last in the Eastern Conference standings and dropped to 6-14-3 at home after entering the day tied with Arizona with the NHL's fewest home wins.

The Sabres blamed themselves for four penalties that led to two of Florida's three first-period goals. That included Yandle tying the game by scoring during a two-man advantage at the 11:06 mark by one-timing in Barkov's feed into the right circle.

Missed scoring chances didn't help Buffalo either.

Kane, O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo all had shots that missed the net from in close.

"We've got to hit the net. We've got to bear down on our chances," Okposo said. "It's frustrating when you don't win at home."

Panthers coach Bob Boughner was relieved to escape with a victory and come out of the NHL All-Star break with two wins following a 4-1 victory at the New York Islanders on Tuesday,

"Our ice was slanted in the second half of the game, and I think our brains turned off a little bit," Boughner said. "It probably wasn't one of our prettier wins of the year, but I guess I can't be picky."

NOTES: Reimer took part in the team's morning skate, but missed his third consecutive game with a lower-body injury. ... Sabres C Jacob Josefson returned after missing seven games with a lower body injury. ... Barkov played in his 300th career game.

UP NEXT

Panthers: open three-game homestand against Detroit on Saturday.

Sabres: continue five-game homestand against St. Louis on Saturday.

Sateri gets 1st career win as Panthers beat Islanders 4-1

By VIN A. CHERWOO
AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Harri Sateri had a long road to the NHL, and he was all smiles after his first career victory.

The 28-year-old rookie stopped 32 shots to help the Florida Panthers beat the New York Islanders 4-1 Tuesday night.

Selected by San Jose in the fourth round of the 2008 NHL draft, the native of Finland spent four seasons in the minors before playing the last three years with Podolsk Vityaz of the KHL. He made his NHL debut Jan. 2 at Minnesota and got his fourth straight start against the Islanders with Roberto Luongo and James Reimer sidelined by lower-body injuries.

"It's a dream come true," Sateri said of his first win after coming in 0-3-0 with 4.59 goals-against average. "Finally I'm here."

Mike Matheson, Evgenii Dadonov, Keith Yandle and Jonathan Huberdeau scored for Florida, which snapped a three-game skid and improved to 3-6-1 since closing December with five straight victories.

"We were on top of them all night, we didn't allow a lot of outnumbered rushes," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "We tracked really well in the neutral zone, we squeezed well and we denied a lot of entries. I thought that was the difference."

Adam Pelech scored for the Islanders, who have lost four of six. Jaroslav Halak, starting for the sixth straight game and 15th in the last 17, finished with 36 saves.

"We just weren't executing that well and just weren't as quick to pucks as we needed to be," New York captain John Tavares said. "We just didn't make it tough enough on their goaltender. We just didn't have our best today."

Florida was in control from the start. Yandle increased the lead to 3-0 on a long slap shot from the left point near the blue line at 4:14 of the third period. It was his fifth goal of the season.

Pelech, playing in his 100th career game, ended Sateri's shutout bid 55 seconds later with his second.

Sateri had to make several nice stops down the stretch to preserve the two-goal lead, including two saves on Anders Lee with about 8 1/2 minutes to go, a wrist shot in front by Brock Nelson 90 seconds later, and a tip by Lee with 6 1/2 minutes left.

"He's played well enough for us to win, we just haven't been able to be good enough for him," Yandle said. "I thought tonight he was awesome. We played well enough to get him a win."

Huberdeau added his 17th with 1:11 remaining. It was his eighth goal and 16th point in the last 14 games.

The win moved the Panthers 10 points behind Philadelphia for the last wild card in the Eastern Conference. The New York Rangers, Islanders and Carolina are also in front of Florida, all bunched up within two points of the Flyers.

"No one's waving the white flag here," Boughner said. "I'm going to scrape every point we can. Tonight was a great start for that after the All-Star break."

Matheson got Florida on the board 8:57 into the game with a hard wrist shot from the right point that ricocheted off the back of the crossbar and back out. Matheson's fifth of the season was confirmed after a video review.

Dadonov made it 2-0 with 5:20 left in the second when he scored on a wraparound inside the right post. It was Dadonov's fourth goal and ninth point in his last nine games.

NOTES: Former Islanders great John Tonelli took part in the ceremonial puck drop before the game. Tonelli was on the Islanders' four Stanley Cup championship teams from 1980-83 and had 206 goals and 338 assists in seven seasons in New York. ... Former Islanders coach Jack Capuano, now the associate coach under Boughner, returned to Brooklyn for the first time since he was fired Jan. 17, 2017. Capuano spent 6 1/2 seasons as head coach of the Islanders, leading them to their first postseason win since 1993 when they beat Florida in the first round of the 2016 playoffs. He received mild applause when he was announced during a brief tribute on the videoboard during a timeout in the first period. ... Islanders C Casey Cizikas was activated off IR and returned after missing six games with an upper-body injury. He was the left wing on the third line with Brock Nelson and Alan Quine. ... Tavares played in his 638th game, tying Derek King for 10th place on franchise list.

UP NEXT

Panthers: At Buffalo on Thursday night

Islanders: At Toronto on Wednesday night.

Ovechkin scores 30th, helps Capitals snap 3-game skid

By PAUL GEREFFI
Associated Press

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) – The Washington Capitals are going into the All-Star break on a winning note - thanks in large part to Alex Ovechkin.

The All-Star left wing scored his 30th goal of the season and got his 500th career assist to help the Capitals snap a three-game skid with a 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.

"It puts a smile on everybody's face," coach Barry Trotz said of the victory. "It makes the break a little bit better."

Ovechkin is the sixth player in NHL history with at least 30 goals in 13 or more consecutive seasons at any point in his career.

"He's a legendary player. He's getting the points, the goals, the assists," Trotz said. "Getting 500 assists, there's not too many guys in this league that have as many goals and as many assists, and he's still got a lot of years left. So those numbers are just going to continue to grow."

Ovechkin's assist on the Capitals' first goal was his 500th. Ovechkin is the 15th active player in NHL history to reach that mark, and the second in Capitals history. Nicklas Backstrom has 568 assists.

"It's a pretty big number," Ovechkin said. "Any time you reach something, it's pretty cool."

Brett Connolly, John Carlson and Backstrom also scored for the Capitals. Braden Holtby stopped 32 shots.

"It was nice to see us battle back," Backstrom said. "When you've been losing three games, it's always nice to get on the winning track again."

Denis Malgin scored both goals for Florida, which has lost three straight. Harri Sateri made 42 saves in his second NHL start.

"It's frustrating for everybody," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "It's never fun losing and we're battling some adversity with our goaltenders out. We can get some rest over the next couple days and come back fresher."

Carlson gave the Capitals their first lead when he one-timed the puck over Sateri with 2:22 left in the second to make the score 3-2.

Connolly stretched the lead to 4-2 on his power-play goal 1:52 into the third. Connolly has four goals in his past five games.

The Panthers killed off a 5-on-3 for a full two minutes early in the third period, with Sateri blocking seven shots.

"He held his own," Boughner said. "It's tough. We've got to get more scoring for him."

Malgin's second goal put the Panthers ahead 2-1 at 6:40 of the second. Malgin bounced the puck off the post and into the net on Holtby's stick side from the left side of the crease.

"We have to get every point, we can," Malgin said. "Today it didn't happen. I scored twice, but we lost. That's not good."

Ovechkin tied it at 2 when he tipped a shot by Brooks Orpik in the low slot and into the net at 7:51 of the second.

Malgin gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead at 11:02 of the first when his shot from the high slot beat Holtby.

The Capitals tied it a 1 on a power-play goal by Backstrom, who redirected a pass from Evgeny Kuznetsov past Sateri on the stick side.

NOTES: Backstrom's goal moved him into fifth place on the Capitals' career list with 198. ... Kuznetsov left in the third period with a lower-body injury and did not return. ... Panthers G James Reimer is expected to miss at least two weeks with a pulled groin. ... D Keith Yandle played in his 680th consecutive game, passing Henrik Sedin (679) for sole possession of seventh place. ... Panthers F Jamie McGinn left in the second period with an upper-body injury and did not return. ... Panthers D Ian McCoshen has been loaned to AHL Springfield.

UP NEXT:

Capitals: Host Philadelphia Flyers next Wednesday.

Panthers: Visit New York Islanders on Tuesday.

Trocheck helps Panthers rally past Blues 7-4

By WARREN MAYES
Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Vincent Trocheck and the Florida Panthers erased a slow start with one impressive scoring spree.

Trocheck had two goals and an assist, leading Florida to a 7-4 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night.

The Panthers rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to snap a three-game losing streak.

"I think once we kind of woke up a little, it was a hard-fought effort as everybody came together," Trocheck said. "It's always nice to put the puck in the net."

Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov each had a goal and two assists, and James Reimer stopped 26 shots in his 15th straight start.

"We had contributions from everybody," Florida coach Bob Boughner said. "I liked the way we played. I liked our bite tonight. I think when we were down 2-0, we never thought we were out of it.

"We put our heads down and we worked hard. We grinded. We were physical and you know, we showed up. I'm proud of the team in the effort."

St. Louis has lost three straight against Florida at Scottrade Center. Vladimir Tarasenko and Paul Stastny each had a goal and an assist for the Blues, and Colton Parayko and Tage Thompson also scored.

St. Louis got off to a fast start on goals by Stastny and Parayko in the first 8:05 of the game.

"We came back and that's what the team needs to do," Huberdeau said. "I think this was a character win and that's what we got to do more often."

Aaron Ekblad and Barkov responded for Florida in the first, and the Panthers grabbed control with three more goals in the second.

"We just weren't good enough," Blues coach Mike Yeo said. "I think they came out and they competed hard, harder than us. We had a pretty decent start and then kind of we sat back.

"We won't accept that anymore, well, not anymore. We haven't accepted it. This is where we draw a line in the sand. That's enough. It's not who we are. It won't continue."

After Tarasenko made it 3-2 with a wrist shot from the right circle at 4:17, Radim Vrbata replied for Florida from in front of the net at 12:23. Huberdeau scored from the left circle at 15:55 and Trocheck got his 16th of the season 42 seconds later, making it 5-3 with a snap shot from the slot.

"All I had to do was shoot it," Trocheck said. "Huberdeau made a great play on the faceoff to get it to me."

The Blues were upset about letting the lead get away from them.

"We were kind of lackadaisical out there," defenseman Joel Edmundson said. "The second period wore us down and they took advantage of us. I guess we thought we had it in the bag and then we took our foot off the pedal. I thought we could have played a little harder."

Colton Sceviour added a short-handed goal 13:02 into the third. After Thompson got St. Louis within two again, Trocheck tacked on an empty netter at 17:56.

St. Louis goaltender Jake Allen stopped 18 of 23 shots before he was replaced by Carter Hutton, who finished with 11 saves.

NOTES: St. Louis rookie D Vince Dunn remains sidelined with flu-like symptoms. Dunn scored his first NHL goal on Oct. 12 against the Panthers. ... Florida G Robert Luongo remains out with a lower-body injury. Luongo hurt himself making a save on Dec. 4. He has missed 15 games now.

UP NEXT

Panthers: Host Calgary on Friday.

Blues: Head into their bye week. Their next game is Jan. 16 at Toronto.

Anderson lifts Blue Jackets past Panthers in shootout

By ROBERT DENHARD
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Struggling to score goals and with several important offensive players sidelined, the Columbus Blue Jackets pulled out a gritty win - just the way coach John Tortorella wants his team to play.

Josh Anderson scored the deciding goal in the eighth round of the shootout, lifting the Blue Jackets to a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Sunday night.

"That scratching, clawing, spitting, biting doing everything you can to win the game, we did it," Tortorella said.

Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky stopped Jared McCann's attempt to secure the win for the Blue Jackets, who also got goals from Artemi Panarin and Jack Johnson in the tiebreaker. Aleksander Barkov, who tied the score with 1:34 left in the third period, and Mike Matheson scored in the shootout for Florida.

"It was a good point," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said after his team lost its third straight. "It was a hard fought point against a real good hockey club. Both teams had good goaltending. We've just got to take this and move on."

Nick Foligno and rookie Pierre-Luc Dubois scored power-play goals for Columbus - just the second time this season the NHL's worst man-advantage unit has come through twice, and both against Florida. Bobrovsky, who took an errant stick under his chin in the final period, had 42 saves through overtime to help the Blue Jackets win for just the fourth time in 11 games (4-6-1).

"We threw a lot of pucks at them and we were able to get a couple big power play goals," Columbus forward Boone Jenner said.

Jonathan Huberdeau also scored for the Panthers and James Reimer stopped 46 shots. Florida's streak has followed a five-game winning streak to close December.

Reimer was clutch in the third period, keeping his team within one goal while making several tough saves in the opening few minutes and later turning aside a breakaway by Dubois.

"He gave us a chance and he definitely was a big part of us getting a point," Boughner said of Reimer, who made his 14th straight start. "You always wish you had two. We had some great chances in overtime and it would have been nice to win it for him."

With the Panthers trailing late in regulation and the teams skating 4-on-4, the puck deflected off the skate of Foligno to Barkov, who slammed it past Bobrovksy for his 13th to even the score.

"The third period I thought we played really well and we just couldn't score a third goal," Tortorella said. "And you knew it was going to happen (that Florida would tie the game)."

Foligno opened the scoring at 9:47 of the first period, wristing a rebound from the slot over Reimer's glove for his first in 11 games.

Huberdeau made it 1-1 just 31 seconds into the second period on the power play with his 15th, a redirection near the crease on pass from Barkov. Huberdeau has scored six times in his last seven games.

Later in the period, Jones zipped a pass from the right side that Dubois tapped in for his ninth on a bang-bang play.

"Our power play hasn't been working this year but I think in our past couple games we're getting closer and closer," Dubois said.

NOTES: Columbus is still without injured forwards Brandon Dubinsky, Cam Atkinson and Alexander Wennberg. ... Florida RW Radim Vrbata missed his fifth consecutive game because of an illness. ...The Blue Jackets are 17-4-3 when scoring first. ... The Panthers, completing the first half of their 82-game schedule, had gone seven contests without a power-play goal.

UP NEXT

Blue Jackets: At Toronto on Monday night.

Panthers: At St. Louis on Tuesday night.

Cullen, Staal each score 2 in Wild's 5-1 win over Panthers

By BRIAN HALL
Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- The Minnesota Wild marked Zach Parise's season debut after recovering from back surgery with a relentless performance typical of the star forward.

Matt Cullen and Eric Staal each scored twice and the Wild beat Florida 5-1 Tuesday night, snapping the Panthers' five-game winning streak. Devan Dubnyk made 25 saves and Charlie Coyle added an empty-netter to help Minnesota win for the third time in four games.

Jared Spurgeon had three assists for the Wild, who put up a season-high 41 shots - including a season-high for a period with 19 in a dominant second period.

"I think our zone time really wore them down," said Parise, who played 13:35 with three shots in his first game after missing the 39. "We talked before how good they are. Transition, they want to get out of their zone and get up the ice with four guys and attack. But we did a really good job when they were trying to break out staying above their guys and making them turn the puck over."

Staal had his fourth multi-goal game of the season in adding to his team lead with 17 goals. Cullen had his first multi-goal game since April 7, 2016, doubling his season output.

"Getting him back is such a big lift for us," Cullen said of Parise's return. "Obviously the way he competes and the way he competes on the ice himself, also the trickle-down effect throughout our lineup. It was evident tonight. I thought all the lines were going. "

Jonathan Huberdeau scored his 14th goal for Florida.

James Reimer stopped 23 of the 26 shots he faced before leaving the game during the second period with an injury after Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad and Wild forward Mikael Granlund fell on him. He said he felt good after the game and expected to be ready for the team's next game.

Harri Sateri made his NHL debut in replacing Reimer, allowing one goal on six shots. Reimer returned after 3:26 of game time and finished the second, but Sateri played the third and finished with 13 saves for the game.

"There was no execution and, worse than that, there wasn't a heck of a lot of compete for 40 minutes," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "By the time we turned it on a little bit and changed things in the third, it was just too late."

Reimer was a big part of Florida's winning streak. With Roberto Luongo out since Dec. 7 with a lower-body injury, Reimer had started 12 straight games for the Panthers and had shutouts in two of the past three games.

"They got Parise, everyone's jumping and excited to go, I'm sure," Reimer said. "They came hard and we didn't have our best game. There's nothing really too crazy about it. One team was playing really well and one team didn't bring their `A' game."

Cullen scored his first goal in 10 games to open the scoring in the first and Minnesota controlled the first two periods with a 32-11 advantage in shots on goal.

"It's good. You could see that some guys, like I thought (Tyler) Ennis played a real good game," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said of the increased competition for lineup spots with Parise's return. "These guys are all vying now for spots. Cully picks it up. Ennis picks it up, a lot of guys played well. That's what you want to see. You want to see that inner competition all the time."

NOTES: Florida F Radim Vrbata missed his third straight game with an illness. ... Wild F Nino Niederreiter missed his fifth straight game with a lower-body injury, but he could possibly return to the lineup on Thursday. Niederreiter has been skating and is expected to join the team's practice on Wednesday. ... The Panthers have never won a game in regulation in Minnesota's Xcel Energy Center. Florida is 0-9-2 in the building. ... The Wild are 10-1-1 in their last 12 home games. ... Ennis had two assists.

UP NEXT

Panthers: Travel to Boston for a game against the Bruins on Thursday.

Wild: Host the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.

Reimer stops 37 for another shutout, Panthers beat Habs 2-0

By PAUL GEREFFI
Associated Press

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) – James Reimer is earning his teammates' confidence with starter Roberto Luongo on the shelf.

Reimer stopped 37 shots for his second shutout in three games and the Florida Panthers beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-0 on Saturday night.

It's been a busy month for Reimer since Luongo was injured Dec. 4, and he capped December with another stellar show. He also beat Ottawa 1-0 a week ago with a 38-save effort. The Panthers won their fifth straight game with Reimer in goal.

"Now that it's going good for us, it's fun," Reimer said. "A year can be a roller coaster, sometimes things go your way sometimes they don't. You just have to take it in stride and enjoy it when it's going well."

Reimer allowed 12 goals in his first three appearances after he took over for Luongo but has allowed six goals in his past five games.

"When you're feeling (confident), the puck's big and you're reading plays," Reimer said. "It's just doing the little things that can attribute to (success)."

Vincent Trocheck and Connor Brickley scored for the Panthers. Brickley also had an assist.

The Panthers' winning streak is their longest since they won five straight from Feb. 11-20.

"It's great. You always have a smile on your face," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "You come to the rink and you feel energized, just like a player, coaches are the same. It's nice to see the room is in a good place."

Carey Price made 32 saves for Montreal, which has lost four straight. The Canadiens have been held to one goal or fewer in four straight games.

"I would say we looked like a team that played three (games) in four (nights)," Canadiens coach Claude Julien said. "Having said that, again, you don't score goals, you don't win hockey games."

Trocheck put the Panthers ahead 2-0 with 8:11 left in the third period. MacKenzie Weegar passed across the slot to Trocheck, who fired the puck past Price.

"Obviously, we've won five in a row and we're doing some good things," Trocheck said. "At the same time, we haven't played a full 60 minutes like we want. It's just a matter of putting it all together and playing a full three periods."

Montreal captain Max Pacioretty has gone 12 games without a goal and he has only one in the last 21.

"We're all just trying to support each other and work hard every day to get out of it," Pacioretty said. "I'm sure no one in this room has really had to deal with this adversity. I sure haven't in my career."

Brickley gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead 4:02 into the second. Mark Pysyk took a shot that bounced off Brickley in the left circle. Brickley grabbed the loose puck, spun around and shot the puck past Price.

NOTES: Canadiens D David Schlemko returned to the lineup after missing the previous two games. ... Trocheck leads the Panthers with 13 points in 14 December games. ... Panthers forward Radim Vrbata missed his second straight game with an illness. ... Josiane Huberdeau, sister of Panthers C Jonathan Huberdeau, sang the Canadian national anthem before the game.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: Host San Jose on Tuesday night.

Panthers: Visit Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Panthers rally late, KO Coyotes

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- One faceoff, one quick shot, one unexpected goal and one comeback started. The Florida Panthers flipped what was a one-sided game just like that, and the Arizona Coyotes never saw it coming.

Mike Matheson finished off a six-minute, three-goal Florida flurry that turned around a game Arizona was dominating, and the Panthers ran the Coyotes' losing streak to seven with a 3-2 comeback victory Tuesday night.

Nick Bjugstad scored off a faceoff with 10 seconds left in the second period win to start the rally. Denis Malgin tied it early in the third period, and James Reimer stopped 39 shots as Florida halted a three-game skid and won for only the third time in 10 games.

"The guys got going and came up with some huge goals, and it was a real fun team win," Reimer said.

Only three nights after his team squandered a game against the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the final 15 seconds, Arizona coach Rick Tocchet said this was an even more disappointing loss in a season filled with such losses for the Coyotes, who are an NHL-worst 7-24-5.

"It hurts, and it's tough. I can name 15 games where we had the game in hand and somehow the other team found a way to win and we found a way to lose it," Tocchet said.

It all happened so quickly.

Arizona's Christian Fischer scored late in the first period, just after a power play ended. Derek Stepan added a goal late in the second to give the Coyotes a 2-0 lead in a game in which they outshot Florida 32-14 over the first two periods.

However, Bjugstad's ninth goal of the season, on a wrist shot from the left circle that immediately followed Derek MacKenzie's faceoff win, clearly shifted the momentum, and Arizona seemed to shut down after that. In their previous game, the Coyotes lost 4-2 to Pittsburgh by allowing two goals in the final seconds.

"One shot kind of changed the whole thing, and that's pretty much what happened," Arizona goalie Antti Raanta said.

Because of the late-second-period goal, Bjugstad said, "We had some momentum, and we had some energy and some optimism going into (the third period)."

Malgin tied it at 3:37 of the third, skating undefended into the lower right circle to beat Raanta with a wrist shot created by Evgenii Dadonov's pass from the left circle. Dadonov assisted on Florida's final two goals.

Raanta, who got little work over the first two periods before ending with 23 saves, momentarily kept it tied with an excellent glove save on Colton Sceviour's wrist shot only 16 seconds after Malgin scored.

However, Raanta couldn't stop Matheson after the defenseman jumped on a loose puck in the neutral zone and skated down the slot, switching from his backhand to his forehand with Jason Demers hanging on him before putting a shot inside the near post at 5:41 of the third.

"That third period, that's the Florida Panthers' identity -- playing fast and playing hard," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said.

It was a role reversal for Florida, which was tied 2-2 against Vegas in the third period Sunday, only to give up three consecutive goals while being outshot 20-2 in the period.

In less than six minutes, Florida scored more goals at Arizona than in any game there since 2006, and more goals than it scored in any of its most recent four games this season. The Panthers won in Arizona for the first time since 1999.

"They took control in third period, and we didn't have a response," Fischer said.

Arizona, outshot 81-50 in its past two games, finished with a 41-26 shots edge Tuesday but still lost its 10th in 11 games (1-8-2).

"I don't understand how we have the game in control and it just turns and we give them two blatant goals -- it makes no sense to me," Tocchet said. "But we'll get it right, we've got to weed some people out of here eventually and get this right."

NOTES: The Coyotes scratched RW Anthony Duclair. ... RW Nick Merkley, the second of the Coyotes' two first-round draft picks in 2015, made his NHL debut after being recalled from Tucson (AHL). He played nearly 13 minutes. ... C Dylan Strome, the first of those two first-round picks, was sent back to Tucson. ... Arizona acquired F Josh Archibald, G Sean Maguire and a 2019 sixth-round pick from Pittsburgh for G Michael Leighton, who was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL), and a 2019 fourth-round pick. Archibald is expected to join the Coyotes. ... Arizona is 3-11-1 at home.

Panthers, Coyotes carry losing streaks into matchup

Stats, LLC

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Arizona Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet keeps searching for a way to turn around a club that lost its first 11 games and hasn't gotten much better since then.

Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan's advice to his former assistant coach: Keep looking for those answers, because your hockey team is counting on you to find them.

"We've talked a lot about staying the course and sticking with your convictions," Sullivan said.

However, in a season filled with disappointments for the Coyotes, their 4-2 loss to the Penguins on Saturday night in which Pittsburgh scored twice in the final 15 seconds might have been the most discouraging yet. It was a loss the Florida Panthers can relate to.

The Panthers (12-16-5) wind up a five-game road trip in which they have won only once by playing the Coyotes (7-23-5) on Tuesday night.

The matchup features two teams that certainly aren't in a holiday mood in December. The Panthers have dropped three straight and seven of nine during this busy month, while Coyotes have lost six in a row and nine of their past 10.

The first-year head coaches for both teams are struggling to explain what happened in the third period of their last game.

The Panthers were tied 2-2 at Vegas with less than eight minutes remaining Sunday -- after leading 2-0 -- when the Golden Knights scored three consecutive goals, all while outshooting Florida 20-2 in the third period. Panthers coach Bob Boughner almost couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Our third period was probably, obviously, the most disappointing period for me in a long time, maybe the season," Boughner said.

Similarly, Tocchet loved how his young team surged back to tie the Penguins after trailing 2-0, only to have Pittsburgh defenseman Olli Maatta's slap shot beat goaltender Antti Raanta for the game-winning goal with 14.5 seconds left. Raanta promptly broke his stick over the crossbar in a show of frustration that no doubt every one of his teammates could understand.

"He played well, and he feels bad," Tocchet said. "It's adversity, and he'll go back in there again and give us a chance again. That's the life of a Coyote right now, we have to build off these experiences."

Tocchet must be wondering how many of these experiences his team must go through. The Coyotes have lost 28 of 35 games overall, and since a dominating 5-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Dec. 2, they are 0-5-1.

"It's been a season like that, and it's going to build character," Tocchet said. "We're going to weed this thing out and we're going to build character on these losses. But they're tough -- I tell you, they're tough."

Tocchet, a Penguins assistant when they won the Stanley Cup the past two seasons, talked before the game with his former boss, who could offer only words of encouragement to a man he obviously respects.

"When you're a leader of a group like a hockey team, the players are taking their cues off you as the head coach, and you've got to make sure that you send the right messages and you have to be consistent with it," Sullivan said. "Toc has strong convictions on how he thinks the game should be played. He's a very good communicator. I think if anybody is up for the challenge that's in front of the Arizona Coyotes, it's him."

Tocchet certainly hasn't resisted change. On Saturday, for example, he switched winger Max Domi to center -- a position he hadn't played since junior hockey -- and did it without warning on the day of a game. Domi drew three penalties but scored his first goal since Nov. 20.

"They're young kids, and (you have to) get them in tough moments and see how they do because that's the only way you're going to build it around here," Tocchet said of a team that has an average age of 25 years and 27 days, making it the NHL's youngest.

Tocchet would like to get some home-ice momentum going. The Coyotes are 3-10-1 at Gila River Arena, and they have dropped the first two games of a five-game homestand.

Boughner would like to get right winger Radim Vrbata going on a familiar ice surface to him. Vrbata has only four goals in 27 games after having 20 goals and 55 points with Arizona last season.

However, Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson said it has been difficult for the whole group to find its way lately.

"It's tough to keep your confidence up when you're not getting W's," he said. "The last three games, we've been struggling to generate consistent zone time."

The Coyotes can relate to that after being outshot 81-50 by Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh in the past two games.

Arizona is expected to stay with Raanta (4-8-2) in goal because Tocchet wants him to get plenty of work after Raanta sat out three different stretches with injuries previously this season. James Reimer (6-9-4) is expected to start for Florida.

"We'll find a way in Arizona," Reimer said following the loss at Vegas.

Golden Knights top Panthers, Gallant's former club

LAS VEGAS -- Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant tried to downplay Vegas' 5-2 victory over the team that fired him just over a year ago -- the Florida Panthers -- on Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Vegas goalie Malcolm Subban, however, was having none of it.

"I think it was huge for him," said Subban, who made 16 saves. "Obviously, you want to get a win every night. Like all the players here, getting a win against your old team feels pretty good, and I'm sure it's no different for him."

Jonathan Marchessault, whom Vegas plucked from the Panthers in the expansion draft, had a goal and two assists, and Erik Haula scored the game-winner with 8:20 remaining. Vegas (21-9-2) moved back into a tie for first place in the Pacific Division with the Los Angeles Kings (20-10-4).

"It's our old team, and we wanted to get that win, and we have a great thing going on," Marchessault said. "We just want to keep it going."

Nate Schmidt, Colin Miller and James Neal also had goals for Vegas, which improved to 13-2-1 at home this season. The Golden Knights, New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning share the NHL lead with 13 home wins.

"No, not at all," Gallant said if the win had added significance because of his firing by the Panthers after a loss at Carolina on Nov. 27, 2016. "It's another game for me. I was fortunate to be with that team 2 1/2 years as a head coach and enjoyed every minute of it. I got ready for this game the same way I get ready for every game. It doesn't make one bit of a difference for me."

James Reimer made 35 saves and Radim Vrbata and Mike Matheson each had goals for Florida (12-16-5). The Panthers have won just two of their past nine games.

Florida jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first 5:13 on almost identical goals by Vrbata (on the power play) and Matheson. Both fired in cross-ice passes from the left circle over Subban's glove hand. Vrbata got a nice feed from Denis Malgin, while a trailing Matheson converted a feed from Evgenii Dadonov.

Vegas cut it to 2-1 at 6:39 of the first period when Schmidt scored his second goal of the season, slapping in a shot from about 10 feet to the right of the net. Miller tied it at 17:20 of the opening period, blasting a pass from Marchessault from just inside the blue line directly in front of Reimer.

"Obviously not a great start for us, but we managed to battle back," Miller said. "Don't think it was the cleanest game for us all year, but we managed to find a way to get it done."

Vegas finally took its first lead, 3-2, when an unguarded Haula, standing to the left of the net, redirected a shot from a spinning Marchessault near the blue line.

Marchessault then sealed the victory for Vegas with an empty-netter with 2:10 remaining, his 11th goal of the season. Neal added another empty-netter, his 16th of the season, on a long clearance from just to the side of Subban with 28 seconds left.

"I thought we started to get our legs," Gallant said of his team's big third period. "I thought we started to forecheck really well and we made them make mistakes, and the guys were starting to drive to the net."

Vegas outshot the Panthers 20-2 in the third period.

"Our third period was probably the most disappointing period for me in a long time ... maybe the season," Florida coach Bob Boughner said. "Give credit to (the Golden Knights). They're a good team and a fast team."

NOTES: Vegas G Malcolm Subban was making his first start since Dec. 8 at Nashville, a game in which he had a career-high 41 saves and stopped all six shootout attempts in a 2-1 win over the Predators. ... Florida announced before the game that the club loaned F Dryden Hunt to its AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. Hunt had one assist in 11 appearances with Florida. ... Golden Knights D Deryk Engelland played in his 500th NHL game. ... The Panthers scratched C Connor Brickley and D MacKenzie Weegar while Vegas scratched C Ryan Carpenter, D Luca Sbisa and D Brad Hunt.

MacKinnon, Avalanche beat Panthers 2-1

DENVER -- Nathan MacKinnon got off to a slow start this season, but he is making up for it with a dominant stretch for the Colorado Avalanche.

MacKinnon scored two goals, Semyon Varlamov made 32 saves, and the Avalanche beat the Florida Panthers 2-1 on Thursday night.

It was MacKinnon's third two-goal game this season and it helped Colorado (15-14-2) beat Florida for the second time in five days. The Avalanche beat the Panthers 7-3 in Florida on Saturday night.

MacKinnon had a goal in that victory and now has 13 this season. After scoring just once in the first 10 games, he has 12 goals in the past 22.

"I felt it was coming. In October I felt like I was playing pretty good," said MacKinnon, who leads the Avalanche with 35 points. "I played better in some of those games and didn't get anything, and I got some points in some games where I didn't play that great the last month and a half."

He was unhappy with his play Tuesday in a 5-2 loss at Washington that ended a four-game road trip. He made up for it Thursday while logging 22:03 of ice time with coach Jared Bednar opting to go with seven defensemen against Florida.

"That line, Nate in particular, was unhappy with the last game," Bednar said. "It was sort of a tough day in Wash and that was a hungry and determined line tonight. Mac, especially, playing the 11 forwards, he doubled up almost the whole game and made the most of his ice time, for sure."

Aleksander Barkov scored for Florida (12-15-5) and James Reimer had 28 saves but couldn't stop MacKinnon with the game tied.

MacKinnon was denied a goal by Reimer's glove at 4:44 of the third, but he got the best of the goalie two minutes later for the game-winner.

He got a pass from Mark Barberio at the Florida blue line and got around defenseman Aaron Ekblad. MacKinnon's shot went off Reimer's body on the short side and in at 6:44.

"You just have to try to take away as much as you can. Unfortunately it just found a puck-sized hole," Reimer said.

The Panthers pulled Reimer for an extra skater with 1:36 left but couldn't get the equalizer.

"We had a lot of opportunities, but you have to give them credit; they played well, especially their goalie," center Jared McCann said. "Second opportunities off of first shots is what we need to work on."

MacKinnon, double-shifting on the fourth line, gave Colorado a 1-0 lead when he beat Reimer from the top of the left circle at 3:15 of the second period.

The Panthers tied it up with a shorthanded goal later in the second. Jamie McGinn stripped the puck from Samuel Girard behind Colorado's net and then fed Barkov streaking down the left side, and he shot it past Varlamov for his 11th of the season at 10:27.

Vincent Trocheck nearly gave Florida the lead minutes later, but his shot rang off the post.

The Avalanche outshot Florida 16-12 in the first period, but it was the Panthers with the higher-quality chances. Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau grazed posts with shots and Varlamov made a big save on a rebound shot in the slot by Connor Brickley in the final minutes of the period.

"It's always important at the start of the game to play well, make a couple saves," Varlamov said. "It gives the team confidence when they see the goalie is on his game."

NOTES: The Avalanche weren't called for a penalty until midway through the third period. ... Florida has scored six shorthanded goals this season, which is tied with San Jose for most in the NHL this season. Colorado has allowed six goals on its power play. ... Florida C Denis Malgin was scratched with an upper-body injury. Malgin, who has four goals in 14 games, left Tuesday's overtime loss in Chicago and was ruled out after Thursday's morning skate. ... Avalanche C Alexander Kerfoot missed his second straight game with a foot injury. Kerfoot was hurt when he took a shot from teammate Erik Johnson off the foot in Monday's win at Pittsburgh.

Blackhawks rally past Panthers in OT

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks' quality of play isn't where Joel Quenneville would like, but when they find ways to win games like they have lately, the coach takes it as a step in the right direction.

The Blackhawks erased a third-period deficit and Patrick Kane scored in overtime as the Blackhawks extended their winning streak to three games with a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

Kane scored with 2:36 remaining in overtime for Chicago, which tied the game in the third period. Corey Crawford made 35 saves to help preserve the victory for the Blackhawks, who also got a goal and an assist apiece from Brandon Saad and Jonathan Toews.

Chicago swept its three-game homestand, including a pair of overtime victories. But, with a tough stretch starting Thursday in Winnipeg against the red-hot Jets, Quenneville continues to search for improved play.

"We need to be better," Quenneville said. "And it's always us with the puck."

The Blackhawks won despite being out-shot 17-4 in the second period when Florida -- playing the second of a back-to-back following an overtime win in Detroit on Monday -- controlled the pace of play.

But Crawford kept the Blackhawks in the game until Toews drew Chicago even with 6:02 remaining. Toews took a pass from Saad and slipped a shot just inside the left post to beat Florida goalie James Reimer, who finished with 25 saves.

The Blackhawks kept up the pressure for the final six minutes but couldn't come up with the game-winner until Kane tallied his 11th goal of the season.

"You want to lead (in) games," Saad said. "But for us to be able to battle back, whatever time in the game it is, it shows a lot of character for us to stick with the game, doing the right things, and the pucks will go in for us."

Florida took a 2-1 lead less four minutes into the third period. The Panthers took advantage of a Chicago turnover and translated it into a 2-on-1, which Jamie McGinn finished off when he took a pass from Vincent Trocheck and fired a shot just under the crossbar.

After Saad scored in the first for Chicago, the Panthers drew even at the 11:12 mark of the second period on a breakaway goal by Nick Bjugstad, who broke free and drew Crawford out of position.

Despite playing on short rest, the Panthers gave Chicago everything it could handle.

"I thought it was a gutsy effort on our part," Florida coach Bob Boughner said. "I thought that we got contributions from the lineup. We all played hard. We played 60 minutes. You know back-to-back is never easy, especially against a team like this."

After the Blackhawks rallied in the third period, the Panthers couldn't respond and had to settle for taking a point in the overtime loss.

"I don't think you can be satisfied when you don't win the game," McGinn said. "We played well enough to win and come out of here with two points. ... It's disappointing, but we'll take the positives."

That's what the Blackhawks will do as they continue to attempt to find their footing. But, after finding creative ways to win their last three games, Toews and his teammates will build off what they were able to accomplish in making critical plays when needed.

"Those three games are must-win games, so it was nice to play well late and find ways to win games maybe if we don't play our best hockey, especially in the (second) period," Toews said. "I think it gives us confidence that we can find some ways to score late goals, take the lead and come back and down a goal late and win in overtime."

NOTES: Panthers G James Reimer finished his first back-to-back with a start in net Tuesday. Reimer, who allowed just one goal in an overtime victory against Detroit on Monday, got the nod over Harri Sateri as Roberto Luongo remains sidelined with an upper-body injury. ... Florida D Ian McCoshen, RW Radim Vrbata and LW Dryden Hunt were scratched. ... Blackhawks LW Patrick Sharp played his 900th career game. ... RW Richard Panik did not play for the first time this season and was a healthy scratch. Panik, who has not scored in 21 games dating to Oct. 21, did not skate with the line rushes at Tuesday's morning skate. Panik was replaced by Ryan Hartman, who had been a healthy scratch the last three games. ... D Cody Franson did not play and remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Jordan Oesterle started in Franson's absence and was paired with Duncan Keith.

Red Wings lose another one late

DETROIT -- Stick with the process.

That is the mantra that Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill continues to preach to his team. But with each mounting loss, it's possible that this blueprint is becoming a much harder sell.

As the season of giving fast approaches, the Wings could be wondering exactly when they will get their just rewards.

Monday, for the second straight game, the Wings played well. They created chances. They dominated play at times. And, for the second straight game, they lost.

Mike Matheson scored 2:02 into overtime as the Florida Panthers rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Red Wings.

Vincent Trocheck also scored for the Panthers, while Henrik Zetterberg had the Red Wings goal.

Afterward, Blashill again counseled his team that they are doing things the right way, and that eventually, it will pay dividends.

He knows that's easier said than done.

"Here's the biggest thing, and it's the hardest thing to do in life -- to trust in the process when you're not getting results," Blashill admitted. "For two games in a row, we've got tons of chances, we did tons of things good, and we didn't get results.

"So, the worst thing you can do is not trust in the process and change the way you're playing. If we continue to play that way, you're going to get results. You have to trust that it's going to happen over time."

The problem is that time may be running out on the Red Wings. They sit 14th overall in the NHL's Eastern Conference, four points behind the Boston Bruins for third place and the final Atlantic Division playoff spot. The Bruins, who hold three games in hand on the Red Wings, are in Detroit on Wednesday in what has to be viewed as a must-win game for the Wings.

Things got off to a promising start for the Wings on Monday. With 1:33 remaining in the first period, Detroit captain Zetterberg opened the scoring with his first goal since Oct. 18, ending a 22-game goalless skid. Zetterberg's original shot hit Matheson, but he gathered up his own rebound and whipped a shot that squeezed between the pads of Panthers goalie James Reimer (34 saves).

"It was nice to see the puck go in," Zetterberg said. "All we can do is keep creating chances and make sure we're a little more determined maybe when we get the chances."

After that, Reimer closed the door, making breakaway stops on Dylan Larkin and Tomas Tatar.

"Reimer was fantastic for us," Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck said. "He kept us in the game with all of those saves."

The Panthers tied it on the power play with 10:11 gone in the third period. Cross-checked to the ice by Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall, as he was falling, Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau flipped a back pass across the crease to Trocheck, who drove a shot into the net off the glove of Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard (27 saves).

In the overtime period, after Howard sprawled to make a save on Nick Bjugstad, Matheson pounded a rebound into the net for his first goal of the season.

Beginning a five-game road trip, the Panthers (12-14-4) won in overtime for the first time this season (1-2), while the Wings (11-13-6) dropped to 0-5 in OT this season. The Wings are 1-6-3 in their last nine games.

"We kept our composure when we got down 1-0, and we kept winning battles," Florida coach Bob Boughner said.

NOTES: Panthers D Aaron Ekblad and Red Wings C Dylan Larkin are two of six players chosen in the 2014 draft who have reached the 100-point plateau in the league. ... Red Wings D/RW Luke Witkowski returned to action for the first since Nov. 9, when he received a 10-game NHL suspension for returning to the ice to rejoin a fight and fought twice with Panthers C Micheal Haley, the NHL leader with nine fighting majors. ... LW David Booth, D Xavier Ouellet and LW Tyler Bertuzzi were healthy scratches for the Wings. ... Detroit RW Anthony Mantha played his 100th NHL game. ... The next point collected by Wings D Mike Green will be his 450th in the NHL. ... Panthers C Aleksandr Barkov returned to action after missing Saturday's 7-3 loss to Colorado with an upper-body injury. ... Panthers scratches were D Ian McCoshen, LW Dryden Hunt and G Roberto Luongo (lower-body injury). ... Panthers coach Bob Boughner was selected 32nd overall by the Wings in the 1989 draft, ahead of future Hall of Famers Nicklas Lidstrom (53rd) and Sergei Fedorov (74th). Boughner played 630 NHL games, but none with Detroit.

Panthers lose Barkov but beat Jets

SUNRISE, Fla. -- They had lost their starting goalie, Roberto Luongo, in the previous game.

And for a stretch of about eight minutes in Thursday's second period, the Florida Panthers were also without their top two centers, Aleksander Barkov and Vincent Trocheck.

To make matters worse, they gave the Winnipeg Jets seven power plays, including four straight in the third period. Two of the penalties on the night were 5-on-3.

Yet, despite all that adversity, the Panthers -- led by improbable hero Michael Haley -- rallied to defeat the Jets 6-4 at the BB&T Center.

Trocheck returned after his injury and scored two goals, including an empty-netter with 10.4 seconds left. But Barkov didn't return after taking an elbow to his jaw.

"It sucks that Barkie went down," Trocheck said of Barkov, who could be in the concussion protocol. "He's a leader of this team. He gets us going every night. Him going down was a big hit for us. Guys had to step up."

Haley, a fourth-line left winger, was one of those guys. He scored the tiebreaking goal on a deflection of a Derek MacKenzie shot with 9:58 left in the third period as Florida (11-13-4) snapped a three-game losing streak.

It was just Haley's second goal of the season. He has seven goals in parts of eight NHL seasons.

Florida also got goals from Mark Pysyk, Aaron Ekblad and Denis Malgin. Backup goalie James Reimer (35 saves) earned the win.

The Jets (17-8-4) got one goal and two assists from Patrik Laine as well as scores from Nikolaj Ehlers, Adam Lowry and Blake Wheeler.

But the Jets went just 1-for-7 on their power play, including a hooking call against Mike Matheson with just 4:02 remaining.

"They made some good saves," Wheeler said. "We had a couple (pucks) lay on the goal line. It just wasn't bouncing for us tonight."

In addition, the Jets could not survive shaky goaltending from rookie Eric Comrie, a 22-year-old Canadian from Edmonton who made 30 saves in just his second NHL start. In his other start, he beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4 on April 6, 2017.

Jets coach Paul Maurice said Comrie "would want that first goal" that he allowed back. But Maurice thought he played respectably otherwise.

"We were just a little too loose on our coverage," Maurice said.

Florida opened the scoring with two goals within the first four minutes of the game. Pysyk beat Comrie stick-side with just 2:48 expired in the first period. And Ekblad scored off his own rebound just 29 seconds later.

The Jets closed the first period with two goals within three minutes of each other, tying the score 2-2.

On Winnipeg's first goal, Ben Chiarot snapped a shot from the point, and the puck deflected into the net off of teammate Ehlers. Winnipeg tied the score when Brandon Tanev sent a perfect cross-ice pass to Lowry, who beat Reimer with a one-timer.

Wheeler's power-play goal with 4:46 expired in the second period gave Winnipeg its first lead of the night, 3-2. Wheeler scored after a perfect pass from Laine.

Florida ended the second-period scoring on Malgin's goal, which tied the score 3-3. He was set up by Colton Sceviour's centering feed from behind the net.

The teams traded goals within the first two minutes of the third period -- Trocheck for Florida and Laine for Winnipeg to tie the score 4-4.

That set the stage for Haley's heroics and some scary moments for the Panthers at the end as they thwarted repeated Jets opportunities.

"We took too many penalties," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "Losing Barkie, we had to scramble. We lost Trocheck for seven or eight minutes. We were mixing and matching all over the place.

"But I give a lot of credit to the guys. They found a way to win."

NOTES: Panthers G Roberto Luongo (right groin) likely will miss several weeks. The Panthers on Wednesday recalled G Harri Sateri to serve as James Reimer's backup. Sateri was recalled from their AHL affiliate in Springfield, Mass. ... Florida scratched D MacKenzie Weegar and LW Connor Brickley. ... Jets G Steve Mason is out with a concussion sustained on Nov. 25. Mason has struggled this season with a 3.45 GAA and a .904 save percentage. ... Winnipeg scratched C Marko Dano, D Tucker Poolman and C Shawn Matthias. ... This was a homecoming of sorts for ex-Panthers D Dmitry Kulikov, who is now in the Jets' rotation. ... Florida's three-game homestand ends on Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche. ... Winnipeg's three-game trip ends Saturday at the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Barzal lifts Islanders in shootout

SUNRISE, Fla. -- New York Islanders rookie center Mathew Barzal wanted a chance at his first NHL shootout attempt ... so he did the only think he could think of -- he kept his eyes trained on his coach, Doug Weight.

Barzal's plan didn't work at first. Weight chose Jordan Eberle, who was stopped by goalie James Reimer, and John Tavares, who fell, got up and also got stuffed.

"Johnny (Tavares) slipped on a banana peel," Weight joked.

Finally, after three Florida Panthers had failed to score a shootout goal, Weight turned to Barzal, and the 20-year-old Canadian delivered, giving the Islanders a wild 5-4 win on Monday night at the BB&T Center.

"He wouldn't stop staring at me as I picked the first two guys," Weight said when asked why he chose Barzal. "I wouldn't look at him.

"He's a confident kid. He was excited. He wanted to get out there."

New York, which entered Monday with the highest-scoring offense in the NHL at 3.72 goals per game, took advantage of an injury to opposing goalie Roberto Luongo, who left in the second period due to an injury.

The Islanders, who have scored five or more goals 13 times in 26 games, provided great offensive support for goalie Jaroslav Halak, who made 39 saves.

New York (16-8-2) also got scores from Anders Lee, Thomas Hickey, Brock Nelson and Tavares. Lee's goal was No. 100 in his career.

Luongo, fourth in NHL history with 459 wins, was removed from the game with 17:29 left in the second period. He appeared to injure his right leg while making a kick save on a shot by Ryan Pulock.

Florida replaced Luongo, who had allowed just 18 goals in his past nine games, with backup Reimer, who inherited a 1-1 score and took the loss.

Reimer said losing Luongo was a tough blow emotionally.

"My first thought was that he was going to get up, and you hope it's just a minor tweak," Reimer said. "It's never fun when you see your partner go down. I'm hoping for the best for him, and, at the same time, you're trying to get yourself into the game."

The Panthers (10-13-4) got goals from Keith Yandle, Aaron Ekblad, Aleksander Barkov and Denis Malgin.

Panthers coach Bob Boughner, who said Luongo was "hobbling" after the game, said more will be known about the injury on Tuesday.

"It's a pretty traumatic thing," said Boughner, referring to the team's emotions following the loss of Luongo.

Early on, though, the Panthers were looking good.

Florida opened the scoring with 10:25 elapsed in the first period. Yandle pounced on a loose puck, unleashing a shot from the point that beat Halak glove-side.

The Islanders tied the score three minutes later. Lee grabbed a rebound off the end boards and beat Luongo between his pads.

There were five goals scored in the frantic third period.

Reimer had only been in for three minutes when he allowed a soft goal by Hickey, who shot the puck from the side boards. Reimer fought the fluttering puck and managed to block it before accidentally kicking it into his own goal with his right leg.

Florida surged back with its power play. After failing to score with a two-man advantage, the Panthers, still on a 5-on-4 power play, got a goal by Ekblad, who used a Jonathan Huberdeau screen to tie the score 2-2.

Barkov's power-play goal gave Florida a 3-2 lead, but New York closed the period with the goals by Nelson and Tavares, which came just two minutes apart.

Florida tied the score 4-4 with 5:06 expired in the third period. Vinny Trocheck won a puck battle along the end boards and passed the puck to Malgin, who scored from the slot.

That was the last puck that went in until Barzal got the call from Weight.

"I didn't have a move -- I just tried to read (Reimer)," Barzal said. "I got in tight, and I went to my backhand. I threw a couple of hesitations in there, but he didn't bite. I was lucky to get the backhand up."

If Barzal was lucky, Weight, 46, was relieved.

Asked about the emotional win, Weight muttered: "I'm too old for this."

NOTES: Islanders C Casey Cizikas (four goals, four assists) missed his third straight game due to a lower-body injury. ... Florida moved RW Nick Bjugstad to the top line, along with C Aleksander Barkov and LW Jonathan Huberdeau. Bjugstad replaces Evgenii Dadonov (shoulder), who is out at least four weeks. ... Panthers RW Denis Malgin, who played on the top line for the first two games after Dadonov was injured, has been moved to the second unit with C Vincent Trocheck and LW Jamie McGinn. ... Florida scratched LW Henrik Haapala, LW Dryden Hunt and D MacKenzie Weegar. ... The Islanders scratched D Dennis Seidenberg and D Scott Mayfield.

Malgin’s late goal lifts Panthers to 5-4 win over Rangers

By VIN A. CHERWOO
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Denis Malgin helped the Florida Panthers avoid a bad loss and get consecutive wins for just the third time this season.

Malgin scored with 1:09 left and the Florida Panthers recovered after giving up two three-goal leads to beat the New York Rangers 5-4 Tuesday night.

Malgin — called up on Monday and playing in his seventh game for Florida this season — beat Rangers goalie Ondrej Pavelec from the inside edge of the left circle for his first of the season.

“I think he went down and it was his fourth game in five days,” said the Panthers’ Jonathan Huberdeau, who had a goal and an assist. “Then he comes up and scores the winning goal. That’s pretty impressive.”

Aleksander Barkov, Jamie McGinn and Micheal Haley also scored — all in the first period when Florida built a 3-0 lead — to help the Panthers win for the third time in four games. James Reimer finished with 33 saves.

“We found a way against a team that probably dominated us for the most part,” Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. “It’s a nice feeling when you can find ways to win those games.”

Chris Kreider had two goals and an assist, Pavel Buchnevich added a goal and two assists, and J.T. Miller also scored for the Rangers, who snapped an eight-game winning streak at home and lost for just the third time in their last 13 games overall. David Desharnais had three assist to help New York tie it after trailing 3-0 and 4-1.

Rangers starter Henrik Lundqvist gave up three goals on six shots before he was pulled late in the first period. Pavelec came on and stopped 19 of the 21 shots he faced.

“I wasn’t able to come up with one extra save,” Pavelec said. “It’s disappointing because we battled back. ... We were all over them and we were working hard to get back.”

New York was playing without defenseman and captain Ryan McDonagh for the fourth straight game, and leading-scorer Mika Zibanejad was a late scratch due to an upper body injury.

With Florida leading 4-3, Reimer denied a backhand attempt by Jimmy Vesey about 5 1/2 minutes into the third and Boo Nieves couldn’t convert on a pass in front. Rick Nash then hit a post about 9 minutes in.

“Obviously, that’s a really good team over there and they come in waves,” Reimer said. “It was just a great character win from our guys tonight.”

Kreider then tied it with his second goal of the game and 10th of the season with 6:32 remaining as he got a pass from Desharnais from the right side of the net and poked it past Reimer.

Miller pulled the Rangers to 3-1 at 4:04 of the second. Mats Zuccarello’s initial shot from the left side deflected off a Panthers defenseman’s stick and Miller fired it past Reimer for his fourth.

Huberdeau restored the Panthers’ three-goal lead about 4 1/2 minutes later as he beat Pavelec after a scramble in front.

The Rangers then scored twice in a 1:50 span to pull within one. First, Kreider came from behind the net on the right side and passed it in front to Buchnevich, who tapped it past Reimer from the left side for his ninth at 9:26. Buchnevich then sent a pass from the right side to a streaking Kreider in front and he beat Reimer for his ninth with 8:44 remaining in the middle period.

Kevin Hayes appeared to tie it with 4:11 to go in the second, but the officials waved off the goal for goaltender interference due to incidental contact by Nash on Reimer. Rangers coach Alain Vigneault challenged the interference call, but it stood after a video review.

“I think that we might have gotten a little bit of a break there,” Boughner said. “There was initial contact before the incidental contact, and I think that’s what they were concentrating on more than anything.”

Barkov got Florida on the scoreboard on a deflection of a shot by Huberdeau during a power play 5:50 into the game. It was his eighth and came on the Panthers’ first shot on goal.

McGinn doubled Florida’s lead at 9:34, firing a shot from outside the left circle past Lundqvist.

Haley made it 3-0 with 3:13 left from the left circle for his first of the season. Lundqvist, who started for the 13th straight game, was then pulled in favor of Pavelec.

NOTES: Kreider now has 99 goals and 99 assists in his career. ... New York won the first meeting, 5-4 in OT at Florida on Nov. 4. The teams will conclude the season series March 10 at Florida. ... Panthers D Keith Yandle played in his 658th consecutive game, moving 21 behind Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin for seventh place in NHL history. Yandle had two assists against his former team, giving him two goals and six assists in 13 games this month. ... After appearing in nine of the Panthers’ first 12 games, Reimer was playing for just the third time in 12 game since Nov. 2.

UP NEXT

Panthers: Host San Jose on Friday night to open a stretch of four of five at home.

Rangers: Host Carolina on Friday night to close a four-game homestand.

McCann gets winner, Luongo ties record, Panthers 3, Devils 2

By MIKE FARRELL
Associated Press

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Roberto Luongo joined an exclusive club, becoming only the second goalie to win 200 games with two different teams

He made 23 saves Monday night as Florida beat the New Jersey Devils 3-2 for Luongo’s 200th victory as a Panther.

He also won 252 with Vancouver. The other netminder to accomplish the feat was Hall of Famer Patrick Roy with 289 wins for Montreal and 262 for Colorado.

Luongo downplayed the feat.

“That’s stuff that I’ll look at when it’s all said and done,” Luongo said. “Right now, when you’re in the moment, you don’t want to think too much about those things. Other than you guys reminding me on a daily basis, I don’t really think about it.”

His goal is helping the struggling Panthers gain traction in the standings to make a postseason push.

“Obviously if you’re playing well, you’re going to give your team a chance to win, and those wins and those milestones will come,” Luongo said. “It’s always nice when you reach a certain milestone but the focus is on primarily on winning games and trying to get into the playoffs.”

The Panthers took one small step in that direction as Jared McCann scored the go-ahead goal in a see-saw third period.

Aleksander Barkov and Vincent Trocheck also scored as the struggling Panthers cooled off the streaking Devils who were on a 5-1-2 run coming in. The win was the second in the last five games for Florida.

Rookies Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt scored for New Jersey and Corey Schneider made 35 saves.

Barkov snapped a scoreless deadlock on the Panthers 30th shot with 2:40 remaining in the second period.

Florida had dominated play and was finally rewarded with Barkov’s shorthanded tally.

He broke into the Devils zone on a 2-on-1 break with Colton Sceviour and opted to keep the puck, beating Schneider just inside the left post.

It was the second straight period in which the Panthers were clearly the better team. The outshot the Devils 31-10 after 40 minutes and clung to a 1-0 advantage.

Things opened up in the third.

Hischier pulled New Jersey even at 2:20. Trocheck got his team-leading 10th at 4:07 on a shot that nicked the post to put Florida back in front at 2-1.

Bratt threw the puck at the crease from a bad angle and wound up with the Devils second goal as it bounced in off the skate of Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad at 8:19.

McCann gave the Panthers their third lead of the game, putting in his own rebound at 12:45.

“I haven’t seen the replay but it might have glanced off me and gone in,” Schneider said. “It’s just a bad bounce. We got one for us in the third and they got one. Sometimes you just have to find a way to make saves off bad bounces.”

After not seeing much action through two periods, Luongo made 13 saves in the third to secure the win, and his place in the record book.

“He’s obviously world class goaltender and a future Hall of Famer and everything he does back there kind of makes us a better team,” Trocheck said. “He’s our backbone and whenever he plays like he did tonight in net, it gets us to give it that extra push to have his back.”

The Panthers also dominated the opening period yet came away empty handed. Florida outshot New Jersey 16-3 during the scoreless frame as Schneider was under constant pressure.

Luongo saw little action in his end with New Jersey defenseman John Moore providing two of his club’s few chances. Moore hit the post with a drive from the left post and almost broke the deadlock in the closing seconds only to have Luongo snare his wrister with a sharp glove save.

The three shots tied New Jersey’s season low for a period.

NOTES: The Panthers recalled C Denis Malgin from Springfield of the AHL on Monday. ... Panthers RW Evgenii Dadonov could miss several weeks with an upper-body injury suffered in the third period Saturday in Florida’s 4-1 loss to Chicago. ... Devils LW Marcus Johansson missed a 13th straight game with a concussion. He has resumed practicing and could return during New Jersey’s upcoming three-game road trip.

UP NEXT:

Panthers: At New York Rangers on Tuesday.

Devils: At Colorado on Friday.

Gibson stops 50 shots in Ducks' 3-2 win over Panthers

Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Of all the ways to win a hockey game, this wasn’t Anaheim’s favorite.

John Gibson stopped 50 shots and the Ducks held on to beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 for their first winning streak in three weeks. The Ducks were outshot 52-28, but Gibson was able to make goals from Josh Manson, Rickard Rakell and Brandon Montour stand.

“He saved our butts,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said.

Gibson was one save shy of tying his own franchise record, which he shares with Jonas Hiller.

“We got a stellar performance from our goaltender, simple as that,” Carlyle said.

Florida fell to a disappointing 7-11-2, with only 16 points in 20 games.

“Same story, different night,” Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. “We threw everything we had at them.”

Anaheim had not won consecutive games since Oct. 28 and 29.

After the Ducks took a 2-0 lead, Florida — shut out Saturday by the Kings — finally snapped its scoreless streak in the second period on a power play. Vincent Trocheck’s wrist shot went top shelf for his ninth goal.

That was all the offense the Panthers could manage despite their barrage on Gibson until Keith Yandle scored with a slap shot 17:01 into the third period to make it 3-2.

Gibson did the rest, if not exactly by Anaheim’s design.

“We didn’t have a very good outing from a standpoint of managing the puck,” Carlyle said. “To tax our goaltender to the level we did tonight is unfair to him.”

Gibson shrugged it all off.

“You don’t have a choice,” Gibson said. “When you come into the game and you might get 10, you might get 50. You have to be ready to play the game.”

Gibson was put under additional stress because the Panthers had six power plays, though they cashed in on just one.

“We’re running into hot goalies,” Yandle said. “We’re getting opportunities. It comes down to a couple of bounces. I thought our effort was great and we played hard, but it’s never fun losing.”

The Ducks took a 2-0 lead after Manson opened the scoring late in the first period when he stole the puck from Jonathan Huberdeau near center ice and broke free on a breakaway.

Manson faked Roberto Luongo into committing right and slipped the puck by his other side for his second goal of the season.

“I didn’t really know what to do, to tell you the truth,” Manson said. “I just blacked out and it worked out.”

Anaheim went up 2-0 on Rakell’s power-play goal in the second period. Montour’s power-play goal in the third gave Anaheim its 3-1 lead. It was his sixth, a career high.

“We were starving for offense the first 10 games,” Carlyle said. “Our power play was pop-gun offense, it really wasn’t a power play. It wasn’t enough.”

NOTES: The Ducks held a pregame ceremony to honor Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya, who were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last week. They were presented with gold pucks, and Ducks owner Henry Samueli called them the franchise’s “first two true superstars.” ... Florida D Aaron Ekblad matched a career high with nine shots on goal. ... Anaheim F Corey Perry had two assists, giving him three multi-assist games in four contests. ... Anaheim called up Mike Liambas from AHL San Diego for his Ducks debut. ... After playing one game in six days, Sunday marked the first of nine games in 14 days for the Ducks.

UP NEXT

Panthers: Return home on Wednesday to play Toronto.

Ducks: Travel to San Jose Monday to meet the Sharks in a one-game road trip.

Luongo stops 35 shots in Panthers’ 2-0 win over Sharks

By RICK EYMER
Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Roberto Luongo likes playing in San Jose. After making 35 saves for his 74th career shutout, he has even more reason to enjoy it.

Luongo was rock solid as the Florida Panthers blanked the Sharks 2-0 Thursday night on goals by Colton Sceviour and Nick Bjugstad.

“The first 40 minutes was probably some of the best hockey we’ve played, system-wise,” Luongo said. “No matter what the situation was in the game, we didn’t deviate from our system. Even though we had the lead, we still kept playing the right way. We didn’t sit back and try to protect.”

Florida coach Bob Boughner won in his return to San Jose. He served as an assistant coach for the Sharks the last two years.

“The two points are the most important thing to me,” Boughner said. “We talked this morning about how important this place was to me and the connections I had and how first-class this organization was in taking care of me and giving me a chance. But the two points are the most important.”

Luongo earned his first shutout of the season and first in 32 games against San Jose.

“That guy never ceases to amaze,” Boughner said. “He kept his composure, especially in the scrambles. He wasn’t over-moving. He was real square every time.”

Martin Jones was nearly as good for the Sharks. He stopped 26 shots, but that wasn’t enough to keep the Panthers from winning for the seventh time in their last eight trips to San Jose.

Sharks defenseman Tim Heed had a goal disallowed on a coach’s challenge a little less than five minutes into the second period. Replays showed he came into contact with the puck just behind the blue line, making the play offside.

San Jose had another goal overturned after a replay review. Brent Burns took a hard shot that Luongo nearly caught but couldn’t handle and it bounced along his pads. Marc-Edouard Vlasic was one of three Sharks trying to poke at the puck and he used his stick to push both the puck and Luongo’s pad into the net.

“The ref was telling me the puck was loose,” Luongo said. “Even if it was, the player pitchforked my leg into the net and there was no way I was going to make the save in that situation.”

Vlasic didn’t see it that way.

“The puck crossed the line,” he said. “You’re jabbing at the puck and it hits his pad. It should have been an absolute goal. The one was offside, that’s all there is to it. The other one is a judgment call. I don’t know the rules anymore.”

Sceviour scored a minute into the second after digging out the puck along the boards behind the net. He skated around the cage and poked a shot that hit Jones’ pads. He took a second shot that got over the goalie’s pads and went in.

Sceviour has four points in six games since returning from injury. He had two points in his first six games this season.

The Panthers, who have won three of four, added an insurance goal with less than eight minutes remaining. Radim Vrbata intercepted a pass in the Sharks zone and played it to Jamie McGinn, who got Jones to commit before dishing to Bjugstad.

“We have to create more offense, make smarter decisions and get hungrier around the net,” San Jose’s Logan Couture said. “We’re not going to win many games if we’re scoring two or less.”

NOTES: Panthers C Michael Haley received a warm ovation from Sharks fans. He played in San Jose the last couple of years. ... Sharks D Paul Martin missed his 15th game with a lower-body injury, though he has been skating pain-free for the past two weeks. ... Florida center Vincent Trocheck has 12 points in his last 10 games. ... The Sharks have not scored on their past 15 power plays.

UP NEXT

Panthers: At the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

Sharks: Host the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

Trocheck scores shootout winner as Panthers edge Stars 4-3

By PAUL GEREFFI
Associated Press

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Jonathan Huberdeau didn’t practice Monday because he wasn’t feeling well. The rest clearly helped him.

Huberdeau had two power-play goals and Vincent Trocheck scored the winner in a shootout to lift the Florida Panthers over the Dallas Stars 4-3 on Tuesday night.

“Special teams, it’s huge in a game,” Huberdeau said. “We got two early in the game. We need to build on that.”

Aleksander Barkov scored in regulation and the shootout for the Panthers. Roberto Luongo stopped 40 shots, plus two more in the tiebreaker.

“I tried to give my team a chance to win,” Luongo said. “We’ve been playing some good hockey the last three or four games as a team. It’s nice to see a little bit of results started to come our way.”

Huberdeau missed about 17 minutes of the second period after he collided with Dallas defenseman Stephen Johns.

“It kind of hurt. I didn’t see him,” Huberdeau said. “I went in, took some time, but I could come back, so that’s what I did.”

The Stars outshot the Panthers 18-4 in that second period and scored twice to take a 3-2 lead.

“Obviously, two big goals at the beginning of the game, and then I lost (Huberdeau) for about (17) minutes in the second period,” Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. “It sort of changed the flow of things and the lines as well. But he battled back. It was huge for him to fight through it. It hurts when you lose a guy like Huberdeau. He’s an important guy.”

Jamie Benn had two goals for Dallas, and Remi Elie also scored. Tyler Seguin had a goal in the shootout.

Kari Lehtonen made 26 saves during his first start in four games. Alexander Radulov added two assists for the Stars and has at least one point in nine straight games.

“We should have won the hockey game,” coach Ken Hitchcock said. “We deserved a much better fate. The second period is the best we’ve played all year on the road.”

The Stars were coming off a 5-1 loss to Carolina on Monday night, when they allowed four goals in the third period. Dallas is 3-6-1 on the road.

“It was better compete from everybody,” Seguin said. “Close to a 60-minute effort, which is what we were looking for after last game. Obviously, not the result. You want to get that (second) point.”

Barkov tied the score 3-all when he redirected the puck behind Lehtonen from the left side of the crease with 17:05 left in the third.

Benn’s second goal evened it at 2 after Luongo got caught behind the net trying to clear. Radulov grabbed the loose puck and passed from behind the goal line to Benn in the right circle. He put the puck in the open net at 10:56 of the second.

Elie gave the Stars a 3-2 lead about a minute later when he backhanded the puck past Luongo.

Benn’s first goal cut it to 2-1 after he took a pass from Radulov on the left side and beat Luongo with a wrist shot with 2:10 left in the first.

Huberdeau’s first goal gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead when his shot from the slot got past Lehtonen at 5:13 of the first. Huberdeau made it 2-0 on his second power-play goal when he redirected a pass from Barkov at 15:23.

NOTES: Huberdeau has points in 14 of 17 games this season. ... Panthers C Curtis Valk, recalled from Springfield of the AHL on Monday, played in his first NHL game. ... Panthers G Antti Niemi was placed on waivers.

UP NEXT

Stars: Visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.

Panthers: Visit the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.