National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Florida 4, Dallas 2
When: 8:30 PM ET, Thursday, October 3, 2013
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Referees: Eric Furlatt, Justin St. Pierre
Linesmen: Lonnie Cameron, Scott Driscoll
Attendance: 16100


Panthers 4, Stars 2: Marcel Goc snapped a tie with 4:55 remaining in the third period and added a late empty-net goal as visiting Florida began its 20th Anniversary season with a triumph in the opener for both teams.

Scott Gomez and rookie Aleksander Barkov scored in their debuts with the Panthers, who finished with the worst record in the NHL last season. Defenseman Brian Campbell recorded two assists and Tim Thomas made 25 saves in his first game with Florida after sitting out the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign.

The Panthers fell behind 2-1 when defenseman Brenden Dillon scored a short-handed goal at 7:32 of the third. But Barkov buried a loose puck on the doorstep exactly three minutes later and Goc converted a nifty pass from Tomas Fleischmann to put Florida ahead for good.

Alex Chiasson scored, Dillon added an assist and Kari Lehtonen stopped 35 shots for the Stars, who were outshot 15-8 in the third.

Florida took a 1-0 lead with 2:19 remaining in the opening period as Gomez put a backhand shot from the crease past Lehtonen. The Stars drew even at 7:25 of the second, when Chiasson went behind the net and tucked in a backhander near the right post.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Panthers D Dmitry Kulikov and Stars C Ryan Garbutt received game misconducts in the first period for engaging in a fight as another already was taking place between Florida D Mike Weaver and Dallas LW Antoine Roussel. ... Fleischmann led all players with six shots on goal, while Kulikov was the only Panther without one. ... The officials elected to complete the final 25.5 seconds of the second period following the intermission after a broken pane of glass was discovered.

Top Game Performances
 
Florida   Dallas
Marcel Goc 2 Points Brenden Dillon 2
Marcel Goc 2 Goals Brenden Dillon 1
Brian Campbell 2 Assists Brenden Dillon 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals Brenden Dillon 1
Tim Thomas .926 Save Percentage Kari Lehtonen .921
Tim Thomas 25 Saves Kari Lehtonen 35
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Florida 39 4 0-4 3-3 26 33
Dallas 27 2 0-3 4-4 38 38
Upcoming Games
  • Dallas will play their next game at home against Washington. The Stars have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Florida will play their next game on the road against St. Louis. The Panthers have a W/L % of 1.000 after a win and .000 after a loss.