Capitals rout Panthers 6-1 in Game 3 to take 2-1 series lead
Panthers Capitals Hockey Washington Capitals goaltender Ilya Samsonov (30) and Florida Panthers left wing Jonathan Huberdeau (11) watch as the puck deflects off the pads of Samsonov during the second period of Game 3 in the first-round of the NHL Stanley Cup hockey playoffs, Saturday, May 7, 2022, in Washington. Samsonov made 29 saves, Alex Ovechkin scored a power-play goal and assisted on another and the Capitals blew out the Panthers 6-1 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round series. The Panthers also led the league in scoring at more than four goals a game. The Eastern Conference eighth-seeded Capitals improved to 4 of 12 on the power play in the series. ___Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno___More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.
wftv.comPanthers win 13th straight, top Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime
The Maple Leafs again held an early lead on the Panthers but failed to hold onto it. On April 5 in their last visit, Toronto led Florida 5-1 in the second period but ended up losing 7-6 in overtime. Saturday night, the Panthers fell behind 2-0 after the first period but were able to come back. NOTES: The Maple Leafs welcomed star center Auston Matthews back to the lineup after he missed three games with an undisclosed injury. The Maple Leafs’ previous best was 105 in 2017-18; the Panthers’ was 103 in 2015-16.
wftv.comDuclair, Huberdeau lead Panthers to 9-3 rout of Lightning
Steven Stamkos, Zach Bogosian and Brayden Point scored for Tampa Bay, which lost for only the second time in 11 games this month. Stamkos scored his 15th goal at 6:19 of the second to cut Tampa Bay’s deficit to 4-2. Bogosian scored his second goal, on a shot near the right end line, to make it 3-1 at 15:31 of the first. … The teams split the first two meetings this season, both at Tampa Bay. The Panthers won the first one 4-1 on Oct. 19, and the Lightning prevailed 3-2 in overtime Nov. 13.
wftv.comPanthers reach 8-0, winning first game without Quenneville
Panthers Red Wings Hockey Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) celebrates his goal with Jonathan Huberdeau (11) and MacKenzie Weegar (52) in overtime during an NHL hockey game Friday, Oct. 29, 2021, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) (Paul Sancya)DETROIT — (AP) — Aleksander Barkov scored in overtime and the Florida Panthers — playing a day after coach Joe Quenneville resigned amid a sex scandal — beat Detroit 3-2 on Friday to run their season-opening winning streak to eight. Andrew Brunette, an assistant under Quenneville, directed the Panthers as interim coach. Sam Gagner and Pius Suter scored for Detroit, with Suter tying it with 3:41 left in regulation with his first goal of the season. ___More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.
wftv.comQuenneville's meeting with Bettman may decide Florida fate
The Panthers are rolling this season but coach Joel Quenneville being named in a report detailing how the Chicago Blackhawks mishandled sexual assault allegations that an assistant on his staff sexually assaulted a player during the team’s Stanley Cup run in 2010 could derail Florida's hopes.
Driedger gets third shutout as Panthers beat Lightning 4-0
The Lightning opened the game with the first all-Black line in NHL history -- Mathieu Joseph, Gemel Smith and Daniel Walcott. The Panthers had the best point percentage in team history, best home record and best road record. COOPER’S MARKThis was the eighth full season on the Tampa Bay bench for Lightning coach Jon Cooper. He is 42 games shy of tying Doug Jarvis’ NHL record. Tampa Bay had five players appear in all 56 games -- Joseph, Brayden Point, Mikhail Sergachev, Yanni Gourde and Alex Killorn.
wftv.comDriedger gets third shutout as Panthers beat Lightning 4-0
Chris Driedger stopped 30 shots to record his third shutout of the season, Juho Lammikko scored a short-handed goal, and the Florida Panthers secured home-ice advantage for the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the regular season finale for both clubs.
Florida Panthers off to 2nd-best start in franchise history
Florida’s 6-1-2 start through nine games is the second-best in franchise history, topped only by the 6-0-3 record to open the 1996-97 season. “We've been consistent in most games," Florida coach Joel Quenneville said. Starting poorly, however, has pretty much snuffed out some Panthers seasons before they even started. The five Florida teams that went to the playoffs — 1995-96, 1996-97, 1999-2000, 2011-12 and 2015-16 — averaged 12 standings points through the season’s first nine games. There’s obviously a long way to go, but the Panthers finally have the start they wanted.