Panthers 3, Ducks 2
SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers ended their nine-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the red-hot Anaheim Ducks at the BB&T Center on Tuesday night.
The Panthers (4-11-4 12 points) win was the first for the team in three games played under interim- coach Peter Horachek, who took over the helm on Friday morning after Kevin Dineen was fired from the job. This is Horachek's first stint as an NHL head coach.
The Ducks (15-4-1 31 points) came into the game against Florida on a five-game winning streak and having won eight of their last nine games.
Initially, it looked like the Ducks would keep the Panthers losing streak alive with their ownership of the first period.
It took Ducks center Andrew Cogliano only 40 seconds to put Anaheim ahead 1-0 with his sixth goal of the season. This was the Cogliano's 478th consecutive game, having never missed a game since his NHL debut with Edmonton on Oct. 4, 2007.
Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm took advantage of Panthers goaltender Tim Thomas guarding the right-side of the net to score his second goal of the season. Lindholm had a clean path on Thomas' glove side to put the Ducks ahead 2-0 with 5:34 remaining in the first period.
The Panthers, however, finally became aggressive, tying the score with two goals within a minute of each other late in the second period.
At 13:28, center Shawn Matthias' backhand shot found the back of the net for the Panthers first goal of the game.
Right winger Scottie Upshall came through with his third goal of the season at 14:38 to tie the game at 2, picking up the puck after it deflected first off of the stick of Duck's center Mathieu Perreault and then off the shoulder of Lindholm.
The Panthers guaranteed the end of their nine-game skid when right winger Brad Boyes scored his sixth goal of the season off of an assist from Upshall 4:29 into the third period.
The victory gives Thomas his third win of the season. He saved 32 of 34 shots in the game.
The loss ended Ducks' rookie goalie Frederik Andersen's perfect 6-0 start to his NHL career. Andersen is the NHL's only active goalie to win his first six career games.
NOTES: The Florida Panthers and the Anaheim Ducks are both celebrating their 20th anniversary in the NHL having been granted franchises Dec. 10, 1992. The Panthers and Ducks faced each other 24 times since starting with their first meeting on Dec. 7, 1993, with the Panthers taking a 3-2 win in Anaheim. ... Ducks captain C Ryan Getzlaf, the team's scoring leader (10 goals and 22 points), is missing his second straight game with an upper-body injury. ... Ducks C Saku Koivu is suffering from a concussion and did not travel to Florida with the team on Monday. It is not known when Koivu will return to the team. ... Panthers D Mike Mottau was recalled to the team Monday after playing 13 games with AHL San Antonio this season. Tuesday night's game was Mottau's 314th career NHL game. ... Panthers D Brian Campbell is the Panthers ironman and has never missed a game since joining the franchise in 2011. This was his 159th NHL game combining his career with the Blackhawks and Panthers.
