Panthers top Flyers, run win streak to 6 games
Evgenii Dadonov scored twice as the Florida Panthers completed a 6-0-0 win streak, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla.
The Panthers are 13-3-0 in their past 16 games, making them the hottest team in the league since Jan. 30.
Florida's win, at the moment the game ended, put the Panthers in playoff position for the first time all season, and they have games in hand in their battle with all of their closest competitors, including the Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Flyers lost their third consecutive game, but they are still 26-10-4 since Dec. 4. They are in second place in the Metropolitan Division, but they might have been worn down on Sunday, playing their second game in 24 hours.
Aleksander Barkov added one goal and one assist and Jonathan Huberdeau also scored for the Panthers. Barkov, an All-Star for the first time this season, leads the Panthers in goals (25), assists (39) and points (64).
Dadonov, who has 20 goals, has been hot lately. He has nine goals and five assists in his past 10 games.
Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo made 39 saves to earn his 12th win of the season and his fifth in a row.
Flyers goalie Petr Mrazek made 22 saves but lost his second straight game.
Luongo got an assist on Sunday before he picked up his first save.
Flyers third-pair defenseman Radko Gudas was whistled for interfering with Panthers right winger Jamie McGinn, and Florida took advantage just 47 seconds into the power play. Luongo got the puck to Keith Yandle, whose stretch pass hit Barkov and led to the game's first goal.
The next two goals were scored by Dadonov -- one in the first period and one in the second. Both goals were set up by stretch passes -- Nick Bjugstad first and then Barkov -- as the Panthers again showed their speed.
Huberdeau made it 4-0 with 2:26 elapsed in the third period, getting a breakaway and switching from forehand to backhand before slipping the puck past Mrazek's kneepads.
The Flyers avoided a shutout with a rebound goal from Travis Konecny with 3:42 left in the third period.
--Field Level Media
