Panthers win 2nd period with 3 points, rallying to beat Canucks 4-3.
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Ekblad scored the tiebreaking goal in the second period and the Florida Panthers beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on Saturday night.
Vancouver suffered its fourth consecutive loss in a five game trip, which ended Sunday in Carolina. The Panthers scored three goals in the second.
Florida also got goals from Eric Staal, Ryan Lomberg and Aleksander Barrkov. Sergei Bobrovsky saved 31 times.
Jack Studnicka scored, Tyler Myers and Elias Pettersson got points for the Canucks. Spencer Martin made 26 saves during the loss.
Vancouver led by 1-0 and 2/1 on goals from Studnicka & Myers. But Florida had three unanswered goals to win the second half.
The Canucks took the lead at 1:35 in the game when Studnicka floated a shot that beat Bobrovsky. Lomberg responded for Florida seven minutes later.
Myers scored a long shot to restore the Canucks’ lead. But, Florida scored the next three — including two off the power play — to take a 4-2 lead into the third.
Staal quickly tied the score at 2 by knocking in a shot from Josh Mahura a minute after Myers’ goal.
Florida took its first lead on Ekblad’s slap shot from the left circle at 3:06 and Barkov scored from the right circle at 9:51.
Vancouver closed to within a goal on Pettersson’s power-play score midway through the period, but the Canucks couldn’t get any closer.
All three goals against Bobrovsky were long shots taken from just outside the blue line. Stats from NHL show that the average distance the goals allowed to travel was 58 feet.
NOTES: Panthers forward Anthony Duclair participated in Saturday’s morning skate. It was the first time Duclair had been able to join his teammates since the offseason, when he had had Achilles tendon surgery. Duclair scored 31 goals last season, a record for Florida. He is expected back in the lineup following the All Star break. … Florida made Zac Dalpe, Chris Tierney and Casey Fitzgerald healthy scratches on Saturday. Dalpe was placed on waivers and would return to the Panthers’ AHL team in Charlotte if he clears on Sunday. The Canucks omitted Sheldon Dries and Travis Dermott.
NEXT
Canucks play at Carolina on Sunday.
On Monday, the Panthers will be at Buffalo.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports