Category: NHL

TAMPA — Sam Bennett had hurt the Panthers, going to the penalty box for slashing with about 11 minutes left in the second period. The Lightning scored the game-tying goal on the ensuing power play, knotting the game at three. Bennett went back to the penalty box for slashing with 6:53 left in the period. When he came out, he hit the ice running, received a pass from Anton Lundell and fired a wrist shot past Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to put the Panthers ahead 4-3. It was all Florida needed to beat Tampa Bay, as the Panthers went on to win Game 5 6-3 at Amalie Arena and punch their...

NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon Hagel will miss Game 3 of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s first-round playoff series after getting suspended for his late hit that knocked Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov out of Game 2. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety suspended Hagel for a game for interference after a disciplinary hearing with him earlier Friday. Game 3 is Saturday at 1 p.m. at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise. Florida coach Paul Maurice said Barkov had not been ruled out but also had not been cleared to play, adding he has multiple lineup options if one of the best all-around forwards in...

TAMPA — Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov left Thursday’s win over the Lightning after taking a big hit from Brandon Hagel, and he did not return before the end of the game. Florida coach Paul Maurice did not provide an update on the star center’s status after the game. Barkov played 15:41 in the victory and recorded an assist on Nate Schmidt’s goal in the first period. Barkov suffered an upper-body injury earlier this month, which kept him out of a pair of games. He returned before the regular season ended. Forward Sam Bennett offered an encouraging thought after the game. “It’s tough to...

TAMPA — The Florida Panthers have been without their biggest star for months, but he is returning at just the right moment. Winger Matthew Tkachuk, who has been sidelined with a lower-body injury since the 4 Nations Face Off in February, played in Game 1 of Florida’s first-round playoff series against Tampa Bay on Tuesday night. The Panthers activated him from the long-term injured reserve before the game, and he was listed on the league’s online roster report. He warmed up with the team before the game. “We can’t wait to see him back,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said last week....

By ERIK ERLENDSSON TAMPA — Brayden Point had a goal and two assists to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 5-1 victory against the Florida Panthers on Thursday. Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assists and Yanni Gourde added two assists. Conor Geekie, Jake Guentzel and Darren Raddysh also scored for Tampa Bay. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 23 shots. Brad Marchand scored for Florida, which finished its regular-season schedule. Vitek Vanecek finished with 26 saves. The teams will meet in the opening round of the playoffs starting this weekend. Tampa Bay scored three goals in the first period,...

By TIM REYNOLDS SUNRISE — Vincent Trocheck scored a short-handed goal early in the third period against his former team, and the New York Rangers beat the Florida Panthers 5-3 on Monday night. Trocheck, playing in his 800th game, got the go-ahead goal during a Rangers comeback like none other this season. The Rangers were 0-30-1 in games where they trailed by two or more goals, the NHL’s only winless team this season in such a scenario. But they got goals from Juuso Parssinen and J.T. Miller 1:38 apart late in the second to tie the game, erasing a 3-1 deficit. Matt Rempe and Jonny...

By ALANIS THAMES SUNRISE — Anton Lundell scored the only goal of the shootout and the Florida Panthers beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on Saturday night. Carter Verhaeghe had a goal and an assist, and Jesse Puljujarvi also scored in regulation for Florida. Vitek Vanecek made 26 saves and stopped all three Buffalo attempts in the shootout. After a five-game skid at the beginning of April, the Panthers have won three straight as they sit two points behind Tampa Bay for second place in the Atlantic Division. Rasmus Dahlin and JJ Peterka had power-play goals for the Sabres. Peterka added an assist...

By TIM REYNOLDS SUNRISE — Brad Marchand got his first Florida goal to cap a three-goal second period, and the Panthers rallied to beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 on Thursday night for their second consecutive win. Mackie Samoskevich and Evan Rodrigues also scored in the second, and Aleksander Barkov scored with 5:57 left for the Panthers — getting to 20 goals for the 10th consecutive season. Alex DeBrincat scored for Detroit, which fell to 6-13-1 in its last 20 games. The win was the 915th regular-season victory for Panthers coach Paul Maurice, breaking a tie with Barry Trotz for outright...

By TIM REYNOLDS SUNRISE — Eetu Luostarinen scored about a minute into the third period, and the Florida Panthers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Tuesday night and helping the reigning Stanley Cup champions snap a five-game losing streak. Gustav Forsling also scored for Florida, which got 17 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky. Carter Verhaeghe sealed it with an empty-net goal with 46.9 seconds left. John Tavares scored his 37th goal of the season for Tampa Bay, which saw its four-game winning streak snapped. The Panthers got center Aleksander Barkov back in the lineup after he missed three...