Florida 4, Montreal 1
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Where: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
Referees:
Eric Furlatt, Ghislain Hebert
Linesmen:
Steve Barton, Scott Cherrey
Attendance:
21288
By The Sports Xchange
MONTREAL -- The Florida Panthers are Atlantic Division champions.
Jaromir Jagr and Teddy Purcell each picked up a pair of assists to help Florida to a 4-1 against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre.
The win combined with the Tampa Bay Lightning's loss secured the division title, Florida's second in four seasons.
"It's exciting to see what we've accomplished this year," said Panthers forward Nick Bjugstad, one of four different goal-scorers for the Panthers. "We've come a long way the last couple of years. Definitely a proud group of guys."
Aleksander Barkov, Greg McKegg and Jiri Hudler also scored for the Panthers (46-25-9), who swept the season series against the Canadiens while Roberto Luongo made 32 saves to clinch the first 100-point season in franchise history.
"If you would have asked me two years ago if we'd be a 100-point team this year, it's crazy to think about sometimes," Bjugstad said. "We've got a good team, we've got good players and a good group of guys. It's really fun to be a part of."
Alex Galchenyuk scored the only goal for Montreal (36-38-6).
Canadiens coach Michel Therrien added to John Scott's Hollywood-type season, slotting the towering forward and his linemates as the starting line-up against Florida's top line of Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Jagr.
The Panthers made the most of the mismatch, striking just 10 seconds into the contest. Huberdeau got the puck over to Jagr at the blue line and the veteran winger poked it forward for Barkov. The center picked up the loose puck and skated to the left dot before firing on Condon.
It was Barkov's sixth goal against the Canadiens this season, after he scored a pair -- while adding two assists -- in Saturday's win against Montreal in Sunrise.
The Canadiens had their chances in the opening frame, outshooting Florida 9-2 before the game was eight minutes old. But Luongo was up to the task.
"He's one of the best goalies in the world and he has been for a long time," said Brendan Gallagher, who was denied by Luongo in the second period. "There's always ways to beat those guys. He obviously made a really good save on me but I felt like I could have made a better shot, so that's a bit frustrating, especially in a game where you lose, but give him a lot of credit. He battled hard, came across and made a good save."
The Panthers found themselves in penalty trouble through the first half of the second period, and Montreal made them pay on their third opportunity of the period.
Brendan Gallagher, in the left corner, found Pacioretty at the edge of the circle and the Canadiens captain sent a perfect redirect pass over to Galchenyuk for the one-timer from the right circle at 10:59.
Bjugstad put the Panthers ahead 2-1 on a power play tally with 12 seconds remaining in the period. After Jagr picked up the puck on a turnover, Teddy Purcell got it over to a streaking Bjugstad, who fired a blast from the high slot.
"That was big to get us the lead," Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said. "Any time you score late in the period like that, it's really good for your team."
McKegg extended Florida's lead at 8:58 of the third period. Shawn Thornton tossed a shot on Condon and McKegg was there for the rebound, flipping a backhander into the net for his second of the season and second in the NHL.
"We were happy with our game and we gave ourselves an opportunity to win," Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty said. "We've just got to bury our chances. There were a lot chances tonight that could have been the difference with the game on our stick, and we weren't able to convert."
Hudler connected on the power play at 18:31 with a shot from the slot.
NOTES: D Brian Campbell appeared in his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 10th player to reach the mark in a Panthers uniform. ... The game was also Campbell's 374th in a row with the team, the latter setting a franchise record and passing Olli Jokinen. ... Called up from St. John's of the American Hockey League on Sunday, D John Scott made his Canadiens debut and rookie D Ryan Johnston, who became the first player in franchise history to wear No. 89, made his NHL debut. ... Panthers D Erik Gudbranson missed the game with an upper-body injury suffered Monday in Toronto. LW Garrett Wilson and C Quinton Howden were healthy scratches. ... Montreal scratched LW Stefan Matteau and RW Mike Brown.
Top Game Performances
Florida |
|
Montreal |
Jaromir Jagr 2 |
Points |
Alex Galchenyuk 1 |
Aleksander Barkov 1 |
Goals |
Alex Galchenyuk 1 |
Jaromir Jagr 2 |
Assists |
Brendan Gallagher 1 |
Nick Bjugstad 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Alex Galchenyuk 1 |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Roberto Luongo .970 |
Save Percentage |
Michael Condon .789 |
Roberto Luongo 32 |
Saves |
Michael Condon 15 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Florida
|
19 |
4 |
2-5 |
5-6 |
12 |
32 |
Montreal
|
33 |
1 |
1-6 |
3-5 |
10 |
27 |
Upcoming Games
-
Montreal will play their next game on the road against Carolina. The Canadiens have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .409 after a loss.
-
Florida will play their next game on the road against Ottawa. The Panthers have a W/L % of .644 after a win and .486 after a loss.