Reinhart scores again, Panthers take down Carolina 6-3

It appears the Florida Panthers may be coming out of their recent rough patch.

After dropping four straight games and seven of eight earlier this month, Florida has now earned consecutive wins over division leaders, taking down the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday 6-3.

The Panthers may be catching Carolina, who they’ll face again on Saturday in Sunrise, at an opportune time because both of the Hurricanes top goaltenders, Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, are both injured.

Florida did score first and in a familiar way, winning a battle along the boards and turning it into a scoring chance.

This time it was Anton Lundell and Jesper Boqvist getting physical along the wall, with Boqvist grabbing the puck and turning straight toward the middle of the ice.

Despite being on his backhand, he recognized Niko Mikkola going to the net and used the massive screen while firing a backhand that eluded Spencer Martin and snuck into the net.

The game was only 2:26 old and the Cats were already in the lead.

Unfortunately for Florida, it didn’t last.

With Carolina on the power play thanks to an Uvis Balinskis high stick, Seth Jarvis got behind Gus Forsling and beat Sergei Bobrovsky on a breakaway at the 5:42 mark.

Florida continued to generate scoring opportunities, first with Lundell finding Eetu Luostarinen at the top of the goal crease for a quick tip that went just wide. The following shift, Sasha Barkov found Sam Reinhart all alone in the slot, and the NHL’s top goal scorer made no mistake, giving the Cats a 2-1 lead.

This lead didn’t last either, at least not by that amount.

A great end-to-end effort by Carter Verhaeghe capped off by a long wrist shot that eluded Martin made it 3-1 Florida on just five shots on goal.

There was a late-period parade to the penalty box that gave Carolina extended 4-on-3 and 5-on-3 time, but the Cats PK came up huge despite Dmitry Kulikov and Aaron Ekblad each serving penalties instead of killing them.

Carolina cut Florida’s lead in half when Sean Walker’s long point wrist shot somehow eluded Bobrovsky’s glove and snuck inside the post at the 6:24 mark of the middle frame.

Momentum remained on the side of the home team, and their fourth line was rewarded for a hard-working shift with a goal by Eric Robinson to send the game into the third period tied at three.

Martin had appeared to turn around his game with a strong middle frame, but another one he’d want to have back would give Florida the lead back early in the third.

A.J. Greer picked up the puck in the neutral zone and carried across the Carolina blue line before squaring his shoulders and sending a long wrist shot across the grain that beat Martin on the blocker side.

Carolina picked up a power play on a Boqvist high sticking call, but his linemates would pick him up while he was in the box.

Luostarinen and Lundell went in on a shorthanded 2-on-1, with Lundell popping the puck in a wide-open net off an Eetu rebound to give the Cats a 5-3 lead.

Another Sam Bennett empty net goal would provide the final touch on Florida’s second straight win.

Both teams now fly south for a rematch Saturday afternoon in Sunrise.

QUICK THOUGHTS

Reinhart’s goal was his NHL-leading 18th of the season. Over his past 15 games, he HASN’T scored in three of them.

Another game, another couple assists for Ekblad. He’s logged six over his past seven games.

Verhaeghe is heating up, now with three goals and six points over a four-game point streak.

Bennett has two goals and four points over a modest three-game point streak.

All three of Greer’s goals this season have come over his past 12 games after he failed to light the lamp during his first 12 games.

Lundell has picked up multiple points in two of his past three games. He’s got two goals and four points in three games after going six without finding the scoresheet.

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