Barkov sets Panthers’ points mark in 5-2 win over Red Wings

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 10:41 PM EDT

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DETROIT – Aleksander Barkov set the Florida franchise record for most career points, Carter Verhaeghe scored two goals, and the streaking Panthers beat the Detroit Red Wings for the ninth consecutive time, 5-2.

Barkov recorded a second-period assist, giving him 614 points, breaking a tie with Jonathan Huberdeau for the team record.

Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and two assists, giving him 14 points over the last five games. Eric Staal and Gustav Forsling also scored for the Panthers, who are 6-0-1 over their last seven games, and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 20 shots.

Pius Suter and Dylan Larkin scored for the Red Wings, who have lost 10 of their last 12 games. Ville Husso had 20 saves.

The Panthers led 2-1 after the first period.

The first Florida goal came after Lucas Raymond‘s turnover in his own zone. Sam Bennett made the steal and passed it to Tkachuk for his 33rd goal.

Verhaeghe made it 2-0 with a slap shot that got past a screened Husso. The Red Wings challenged for goalie interference, but the goal was upheld after a video review.

Just after killing off the subsequent penalty, Detroit got on the board when Suter jammed in a rebound of David Perron‘s shot.

Forsling scored on shot from the point midway through the second period to restore Florida’s two-goal advantage. Barkov had the second assist, allowing him to break the franchise points record.

Larkin scored on a delayed penalty off a pass from Raymond at 7:53 of the third to cut the Panthers’ lead to 3-2.

Staal scored on a breakaway off a pass from Anthony Duclair with under four minutes left, and Verhaeghe added a power-play goal.

GAME NOTES

Panthers F Eetu Luostarinen had an assist in the 200th game of his career. … Florida is 29-2-3 when leading after two periods. … The last time the Red Wings beat the Panthers was Feb. 20, 2021. … Barkov has 42 points in 38 career games against Detroit. … Andrew Copp notched his 150th career assist on Larkin’s goal.

UP NEXT

Panthers: At Philadelphia on Tuesday night.

Red Wings: At St. Louis on Tuesday night to open a home-and-home set.

Anderson makes 53 saves, Skinner powers Sabres past Panthers

Associated PressFeb 24, 2023, 10:42 PM EST

Rich Storry/USA TODAY Sports

SUNRISE, Fla. — Jeff Skinner scored twice and Craig Anderson made 53 saves against his former team to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Friday night.

The 41-year-old Anderson spent three seasons with the Panthers (2006-09) and still maintains a home a few miles north of their arena. He helped Buffalo get to 64 points and pull into a three-way tie for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with Detroit and Florida.

The Sabres have not been to the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2011 – the longest such drought in the NHL.

Buffalo also got a power-play goal from Alex Tuch, and Tage Thompson had three assists.

Carter Verhaeghe scored his 31st of the season for the Panthers – who were playing without their two top centers in Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett due to injuries. Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves in the loss.

Buffalo, coming off an overtime win at Tampa Bay on Thursday night, took the lead at 3:51 of the second period when Skinner found himself alone at the right side of the net and scored on a pass from Thompson.

The Sabres made it 2-0 on Tuch’s goal, which came two minutes after Buffalo had a goal taken off the board due to video review showing Tuch was offside.

Florida finally got one past Anderson at 8:24 of the third period as Verhaeghe took a cross-ice pass from Anthony Duclair and fired a shot from the right circle.

Skinner got his second of the night and 24th of the season about two minutes later to give his team some breathing room again with a tough-angle shot from the goal line to beat Bobrovsky.

NOTES: For the first time this season, the Panthers had Duclair in their lineup. He had been out since having Achilles tendon surgery in July. . With Barkov and Bennett out, Florida recalled Grigori Denisenko and Zac Dalpe from its AHL team in Charlotte. Denisenko had been sent to Charlotte on Wednesday to help clear cap space for Duclair. . Florida goalie Spencer Knight will be away from the team for an undetermined amount of time after entering the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. . The Panthers also placed Givani Smith on long-term injured reserve after he was struck in the face by a puck Monday against Anaheim. . The Sabres made Rasmus Asplund, Jacob Bryson and Eric Comrie healthy scratches.

UP NEXT

Sabres: Host the Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon.

Panthers: Visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.

MVP Matthew Tkachuk lifts Atlantic to NHL All-Star Game win

Associated PressFeb 4, 2023, 8:08 PM EST

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

SUNRISE, Fla. — Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk was right at home at the NHL All-Star Game.

Again.

Detroit’s Dylan Larkin had a hat trick, Toronto’s Mitch Marner had three assists and the Atlantic Division topped the Central Division 7-5 in the All-Star Game final.

All-Star Game MVP Matthew Tkachuk – playing alongside his brother Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators – had seven points on the day, after a five-point outburst in a semifinal win over the Metropolitan Division. Larkin had five goals in the Atlantic’s two games.

And for the MVP, winning in front of Panthers fans meant more than just winning.

“It’s been an honor to play in front of them this whole year and it’s great that the other players in the league can see what a great place this is to play,” Matthew Tkachuk said. “I’m as happy as can be here.”

Arizona’s Clayton Keller, Dallas’ Jason Robertson, Colorado teammates Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen all had goals for the Central in the final. Makar also had two assists.

It was the first time the Atlantic won the All-Star Game, after six previous tries in the divisional format. The 11 players – nine skaters and two goalies – on the Atlantic roster split $1 million for the win.

“It was so much fun,” Larkin said after the first final game hat trick in this All-Star format. “I’m proud of how we won it. What a great group of guys … it was just a great weekend.”

Matthew Tkachuk has now been on the winning team in both of his All-Star appearances, and both times, he enjoyed the comforts of home. He helped the Pacific win the 2020 All-Star title in St. Louis, his hometown and one of the many spots that his father – Keith Tkachuk, who was in the crowd Saturday – played during his career.

This one truly had home-ice advantage. Matthew Tkachuk – the former Calgary standout who picked Florida this past offseason, despite much speculation that he would be going to St. Louis — had three goals and two assists in the Atlantic’s 10-6 win over the Metropolitan in the second semifinal.

It was 3-0 Atlantic after the first half of the 20-minute final; all games under this All-Star format are 3-on-3, 20 minutes in length with a brief break after 10 minutes. The lead got to 4-0 early in the second half of the final, giving the Atlantic 10 consecutive goals; it trailed 6-4 in the semifinal before closing on a 6-0 run.

NOTES: The NHL gets right back to play on Monday with six games, including a home game for Florida – meaning it’ll be a quick turnaround for the arena. … The Central Division is now the only one yet to win an All-Star Game in this format. The Pacific has three wins, the Metropolitan has three wins and now the Atlantic has one. … Florida was supposed to host this game in 2021, only to have it canceled by the pandemic. The Panthers hosted All-Star weekend in 2023. … Attendance was a sellout, 19,250.

SEMIFINAL 1: CENTRAL 6, PACIFIC 4

Keller had two goals and an assist, MacKinnon scored twice and the Central moved into the title matchup. St. Louis’ Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and three assists for the Central. Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson had two goals, while San Jose’s Erik Karlsson and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid also scored for the Pacific.

SEMIFINAL 2: ATLANTIC 10, METROPOLITAN 6

The teams combined for a record-tying – in the 3-on-3 era, anyway – 16 goals. Matthew Tkachuk had three goals and two assists, tying a single-game record for the format. Brady Tkachuk had a goal and three assists for the Atlantic. Columbus’ Johnny Gaudreau had three goals for the Metropolitan. Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby had two goals and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin had the other.

UP NEXT

The next NHL All-Star weekend is Feb. 2-3, 2024 in Toronto.

Panthers offer Sarah Nurse deal to lead girls hockey program

Associated PressFeb 4, 2023, 4:07 PM EST

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers are trying to sign a high-scoring forward who has an Olympic gold medal and two world championships, with hopes of getting the deal done in the coming days.

If it happens, she won’t be playing for the Panthers.

Sarah Nurse, the Canadian forward who had a highlight-reel goal against the New York Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin during the NHL’s All-Star Skills Competition, has the chance to run the Panthers’ new program designed to get more girls playing hockey.

Florida president Matthew Caldwell offered the job to Nurse publicly – very publicly, at a lectern, with a microphone, before a crowd of onlookers. And he was serious.

“I’m going to embarrass you, but we’re going to offer you a job today,” Caldwell told Nurse, who was seated in the crowd. “We want you to be the face of our girls program at the War Memorial. So, are you in? On the spot? We don’t deal with agents, OK. I’m a tough negotiator.”

The idea to hire Nurse was first floated to Caldwell by Melissa Fitzgerald. She’s the general manager for the War Memorial, which is the two-rink facility being refurbished by the team and will become its practice headquarters.

“We’ve been talking about it for a few weeks,” Caldwell told The Associated Press. “Our youth hockey team kind of brought it up as a joke to me, but I said, `Let’s think big. We’re building this huge facility. Let’s put our money where our mouth is.”‘

The only part Caldwell was less than serious about with Nurse was how the Panthers don’t deal with agents. He spoke with Nurse’s representative, Thomas Houlton, after the event.

Houlton did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He and Caldwell spoke for about 15 minutes after the event, which was attended by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Panthers stars Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, and dozens of kids who got to play ball hockey afterward.

Nurse played for Canada’s world-champion teams in 2021 and 2022, along with Canada’s Olympic gold winners at the Beijing Games last year.

She was one of five women’s players from USA Hockey and Team Canada – the two most dominant women’s national teams in the world – who were part of the skills events. She wore custom skates highlighting Black History month and the Black Girl Hockey Club, a nonprofit focused on getting more Black girls and women into the sport.

She used a move made famous by Hall of Famer Peter Forsberg when he helped Sweden win gold at the 1994 Olympics against Shesterkin, a Vezina Trophy-winning goalie.

U.S. star Hilary Knight didn’t think Nurse’s goal should have surprised anyone, saying, “she’s a top scorer.”

Raanta’s 2nd straight shutout helps Hurricanes beat Panthers

Associated PressDec 31, 2022, 12:33 AM EST

James Guillory/USA TODAY Sports

RALEIGH, N.C. — Antti Raanta made 19 saves for his second straight shutout and the 17th of his career, and the Carolina Hurricanes scored on three power plays for their franchise-record 10th consecutive victory, beating the Florida Panthers 4-0 on Friday night.

Stefan Noesen, Andrei Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen had the power-play goals and Jesperi Kotkaniemi posted the team’s fourth goal just 10 seconds after another man-advantage situation expired.

“It’s nice to have a night like that,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We haven’t really had one of those really all year, capitalizing on the power play. The special teams won us the game. You’ve got to have that clicking, it wins you games.”

Brett Burns and Seth Jarvis each had two assists as the Hurricanes extended their franchise-best points streak to 16 games.

“What I really like about this stretch is we haven’t had any really dips in our game,” Brind’Amour said.

The Panthers, who were blanked for the first time this season, have lost four of their last five games. Florida was coming off a season-high seven goals a night earlier against the Montreal Canadiens.

The Hurricanes have registered a league-high five shutouts.

“They don’t give you a whole lot of easy ice, so there’s not a lot of inside plays,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “But we tried to find them.”

Raanta, playing for a fourth straight game, faced only three shots in the first period. In the third period, the Panthers didn’t put a shot on goal for eight minutes. He shut out the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

“Try to make the save one at a time and obviously guys are playing well in front of me so that helps,” Raanta said.

The season-high three power-play goals came after the Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes had a total of two goals on power plays in their previous five games. Carolina ranked 27th in the NHL on power plays entering the game.

“We’ve been struggling all year to get that going,” Kotkaniemi said.

The Panthers were 0 for 6 on power plays after scoring three times on power plays Thursday night. Florida hasn’t won two games in a row since its first two games of December.

“We got to learn how to fight,” Maurice said.

Panthers goalie Spencer Knight made 30 saves.

It had been exactly a year since the Hurricanes managed to post three power-play goals in a game.

“We know how important it is,” Brind’Amour said. “We got our opportunities, they went in. It doesn’t always work that way.”

Noesen knocked in a rebound of teammate Sebastian Aho’s shot 7:05 into the game. Aho’s assist gave him his first point in three games since returning from a seven-game absence with an injury.

Svechnikov’s team-leading 19th goal came at 4:58 of the second period. About seven minutes later, Teravainen scored his third of the season.

BACK-TO-BACK

Combined with goalie Pyotr Kochetkov‘s shutouts in consecutive games earlier this month, the Hurricanes became the first NHL team in seven seasons to have two goalies with shutouts in back-to-back games in the same season.

Raanta needed brief medical attention when he was banged up in the crease in the first period. That incident didn’t seem to faze him.

“There were a couple bumps on the goalie. One was pretty hard,” Brind’Amour said. “It’s nice to see he got through it.”

ICE MATTERS

Of Noesen’s eight goals, five have been the first goal of a game for Carolina. . The four-goal margin matched Florida’s most lopsided defeats of the season. . In the 2022 calendar year, the Hurricanes finished 56-19-13 in regular-season games. Carolina went 12-0-1 in December.

UP NEXT

Panthers: Host the New York Rangers on Sunday.

Hurricanes: At New Jersey on Sunday.