Florida 6, Ottawa 2
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, March 10, 2016
Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida
Referees:
Dean Morton, Tim Peel
Linesmen:
Shandor Alphonso, Tim Nowak
Attendance:
15051
By The Sports Xchange
SUNRISE, Fla. -- Aaron Ekblad got the go-ahead goal and Jaromir Jagr scored twice as the Florida Panthers snapped a three-game losing streak, defeating the Ottawa Senators 6-2 on Thursday night at the BB&T Center.
Ekblad's second-period goal put Florida ahead 3-2. Jonathan Huberdeau scored 14 seconds later to give the Panthers a 4-2 advantage, and the Panthers coasted from there.
Florida also got goals from Jussi Jokinen and Vincent Trocheck.
With the win, Florida (37-21-9) tied the idle Tampa Bay Lightning for second place in the Atlantic Division, each with 83 points. The Boston Bruins (84 points) lead the Atlantic.
Jagr, who scored Florida's first and fifth goals, became the fifth player in history to record at least 50 points in 20 NHL seasons. The others on the list are Gordie Howe, Mark Messier, Ray Bourque and Ron Francis.
Ottawa (31-30-8) got goals from Zack Smith and Erik Karlsson. But Senators goalie Craig Anderson, who returned after missing four games due to a knee injury, was clearly rusty.
Florida goalie Roberto Luongo wasn't extremely sharp but he got the win to snap a skid in which he had lost five of his previous six games.
Florida scored first. With 13:07 elapsed in the first period, Huberdeau fed Jagr on the right wing. Jagr's shot deflected off a stick and in.
Ottawa tied the score 1-1 on Smith's rebound goal with just 23 seconds left in the first period.
Florida opened the second-period scoring when Jokinen and Erik Gudbranson worked a slick give-and-go. After dropping the puck for Gudbranson, Jokinen got it back and beat Anderson high to the stick side.
But just 37 seconds later, Luongo let in a weak goal that was shot by Karlsson, a foot inside the blue line. Luongo appeared to be screened by his teammate, defenseman Brian Campbell. That tied the score 2-2.
With 10:28 left in the second period, Florida's Vincent Trocheck skated behind Ottawa's goal before dishing to Ekblad in the slot. Ekblad then ripped his shot high to the stick side to put Florida up 3-2, and Huberdeau followed with a rebound goal to make it 4-2 after the second period.
NOTES: Senators D Patrick Wiercioch (upper-body injury) returned, and D Chris Wideman was scratched. ... Senators LW Matt Puempel returned after being scratched for four games. ... Ottawa also scratched C Kyle Turris, LW Nick Paul and D Mark Borowiecki. ... G Roberto Luongo returned after he was pulled during Florida's previous game. Entering Thursday, he had a 3.21 goals-against average since the All-Star break. ... Panthers C Derek MacKenzie (concussion) returned after missing five games. ... Panthers D Willie Mitchell (concussion, out since Jan. 18) skated this week, non-contact, and could return next week . ... Panthers LW Teddy Purcell (groin) missed his second straight game but could return Saturday. ... Florida scratched D Steven Kampfer, C Quinton Howden and C Kyle Rau. ... According to sportsclubstats.com, Florida has a 98.7 chance of making the playoffs as compared to 1.5 percent for Ottawa.
Top Game Performances
Ottawa |
|
Florida |
Erik Karlsson 2 |
Points |
Vincent Trocheck 4 |
Erik Karlsson 1 |
Goals |
Jaromir Jagr 2 |
Erik Karlsson 1 |
Assists |
Vincent Trocheck 3 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Craig Anderson .806 |
Save Percentage |
Roberto Luongo .929 |
Craig Anderson 25 |
Saves |
Roberto Luongo 26 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Ottawa
|
28 |
2 |
0-2 |
2-2 |
6 |
27 |
Florida
|
31 |
6 |
0-2 |
2-2 |
6 |
43 |
Upcoming Games
-
Florida will play their next game at home against Philadelphia. The Panthers have a W/L % of .639 after a win and .452 after a loss.
-
Ottawa will play their next game at home against Toronto. The Senators have a W/L % of .406 after a win and .486 after a loss.