Panthers Snap Losing Streak, Defeat Bruins in Shootout

SUNRISE, Fla. — Florida took the ice at Amerant Bank Arena for the final time before a three-week Olympic break.

The Panthers were able to snap a four-game losing skid at the right time, defeating a Boston Bruins team that they are chasing for a playoff spot 5-4 in a shootout.

Brad Marchand had the shootout winner, and Sergei Bobrovsky won his 450th career game.

It is important [to get back in the win column],” Bobrovsky said. “Not only the points and the opponent, but also for the emotional atmosphere in the locker room, to get the win and to feel that enjoyment and to feel that fun.”

All of Florida’s points and goals — including the shootout — came from players that were named to their respective countries’ Olympic rosters.

A pregame ceremony honored the Panthers’ league-leading 10 Olympians, representing five countries: Canada, USA, Sweden, Finland and Latvia. Another five Florida staff members, including GM Bill Zito (Team USA), were recognized before they head to Milan in hopes of bringing home a gold medal.

Recently named to Team Canada’s Olympic roster, Sam Bennett appeared to have scored his 20th goal of the season just 1:24 into Wednesday’s game after beating Joonas Korpisalo with a wrist-shot from the slot.

A coach’s challenge from Boston showed that the zone-entry attempt by Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk was slightly offside. The goal was overturned.

Luckily for the Panthers, they wouldn’t have to wait long to officially open the scoring, with another one of their Olympians breaking the ice.

Pouncing on a turnover made by Boston’s Morgan Geekie, Finnish forward Eetu Luostarinen roofed a shot over his soon to be Olympic teammate, Joonas Korpisalo, for his seventh goal of the season 4:22 into the first.

Less than three minutes after Florida took the lead, Bruins forward Michael Eyssimont slipped a five-hole shot under Sergei Bobrovsky, on Boston’s second shot of the night, to tie the game at 1-1 with his seventh goal of the season.

Midway through the second, Boston’s top defenseman Charlie McAvoy left the game with an apparent upper-body injury after he was hit up high by Panthers forward Sandis Vilmanis. Vilmanis left his feet and caught McAvoy up high with an elbow. McAvoy, who is on Team USA’s Olympic roster, did return for the second period.

Vilmanis was assessed a minor for the check to the head, and the Bruins wiped away a power-play chance after Jonathan Aspirot was called for a roughing penalty by going after Vilmanis.

Florida actually managed to get a power-play after everything. Boston was called for unsportmanlike conduct after voicing their clear displeasure with the play that took out their star defenseman.

On the subsequent penalty kill, Boston not only killed off the bench-minor, they took the lead.

With 7:17 to play in the first, Eyssimont, who served the unsportsmanlike penalty, sprung out of the box in stride, received a stretch pass from Marat Khusnutdinov, then proceeded to dangle Bobrovsky out of his net and tuck away his eight goal of the season for a 2-1 Boston lead.

On the power-play, Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis buried a wrist-shot from the  point 30 seconds into the second period to tie the game. Balinskis has five goals on the season, and has scored in consecutive games for the second time this season.

A little over two minutes after Balinskis tied the game, Florida reclaimed the lead — scoring their second power-play goal of the night — after Matthew Tkachuk banked in a shot off Korpisalo from below the goal-line.

Anton Lundell doubled Florida’s lead with 1:27 to play in the second. While short-handed, the Panthers broke free on an odd-man rush, and Lundell buried a cross-crease feed from Sam Reinhart for his 16th goal of the season to make it 4-2.

“I just tried to do my best,” Lundell said following his three-point night. “We all know where we are in the standings, and what we can do is improve our game… these games are big, and I thought we played a good game today.”

Mark Kastelic cut the Bruins deficit to one 7:52 into the third after a point-shot hit a few bodies, before finally hitting his chest and into the net.

Boston would tie the game at 4-4 with their second unanswered goal in under three minutes after Casey Mittelstadt scored just nine seconds into Boston’s sixth power-play of the night.

Regulation and overtime weren’t enough on Wednesday, a winner would be decide by a shootout.

Viktor Arvidsson scored Boston’s only goal in the shootout, while Anton Lundell and Brad Marchand both found the back of the net for Florida.

Florida will head to Tampa on Thursday for their final game before the three-week Olympic break. Puck drop for that contest against the Lightning will be at 7:30 p.m. from Benchmark International Arena.

PANTHERS NOTES

Forward Anton Lundell returned to the lineup after missing the past three games with an upper-body injury. He had a goal, two assists in regulation, and had a shootout goal as well.

Forward Brad Marchand made a surprising return to the Panthers lineup on Wednesday night. Marchand, 37, missed the past two games with an undisclosed injury. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said Marchand would not play against his former team, but that obviously wasn’t the case. He ended the night with the shootout winner.

“It’s just such a fine line to want to feel really good going to the Olympics,” Marchand said postgame. “But obviously we’re battling right now for important points. But it felt good. I wasn’t really concerned.”

Sandis Vilmanis sustained an upper-body injury in the first period and did not return to action. Paul Maurice said postgame he thinks Vilmanis “is good”. The Latvian forward is one of Florida’s 10 Olympians.

Defenseman Tobias Bjornfot was hurt in the second period and did not return. Maurice doesn’t expect him to play on Thursday in Tampa.