Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves as the Florida Panthers knocked off the red-hot Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 on Tuesday night in Sunrise, Fla.
Ryan Lomberg and Aleksander Barkov scored for the Panthers. Barkov has one goal and two assists in his last two games after he had missed the previous three with a hand injury.
Shea Theodore scored the lone goal for the Golden Knights. Goalie Adin Hill made 40 saves just two nights after Jonathan Quick made his Knights debut.
Despite the loss, Vegas is 9-2-2 in its past 13 games.
Vegas blocked 23 shots, while the Panthers blocked just 15. However, the Golden Knights went just 1-for-4 on the power play on Tuesday. Their biggest miss came midway through the third period when they had an opportunity to tie the score, but couldn’t get the job done.
Florida opened the scoring just 4:25 into the first period. Jack Eichel turned the puck over, and Florida’s Anton Lundell pounced on it. Josh Mahura then shoveled the puck to Lomberg, who scored by whistling a high shot from the slot.
The Panthers extended their advantage to 2-0 with 4:05 gone in the second. Florida’s Nick Cousins forced a turnover and dished to Anthony Duclair, whose pass led to Barkov’s goal from the slot. Barkov’s shot, which hit off defenseman Nicolas Hague’s stick, sailed in just under the crossbar.
However, a penalty on the Panthers for too many men on the ice gave Vegas an opportunity, and the Golden Knights indeed got on the board with 6:37 left in the second on Theodore’s power-play goal. On the play, Theodore took a blast from the point, and he was helped in front by a Reilly Smith screen.
But that was all the Golden Knights could muster as Bobrovsky was named the game’s second star. Lomberg was the first star with three hits, one block and the goal.
–Field Level Media