Marchand assists Bennett’s OT winner in Panthers debut vs. Utah

By TIM REYNOLDS

SUNRISE — Brad Marchand capped his Florida debut by setting up Sam Bennett’s winner with 41.1 seconds left in overtime, and the Panthers defeated the Utah Hockey Club 2-1 on Friday night.

Bennett had both goals for Florida, including one in the second with Mackie Samoskevich and Aleksander Barkov assisting. Utah tied it early in the third on Sean Durzi’s third of the year.

The win pushed Florida back into first in the Atlantic Division at 44-25-3 with 91 points, one more than Toronto and two more than Tampa Bay. All three of those teams have 10 games remaining, and Florida faces those clubs three times — two with Toronto, one with the Lightning — down the stretch.

The Panthers paid tribute to Utah forward Kevin Stenlund during the first period, as has been the case with all returning players who left Florida after winning last year’s Stanley Cup. He got a video and ovation during the first period, acknowledging the crowd with a wave.

Stenlund got his ring in early January when the Panthers visited Utah.

Takeaways

Panthers: Marchand’s new line — with Samoskevich and Bennett — was on the ice to start the game for Florida. Every time Marchand touched the puck, the crowd seemed to immediately increase its volume.

Key moment

The Panthers staved off a power play that Utah was awarded with 3:23 left when Eetu Luostarinen was called for holding in a 1-1 game.

Key stat

Utah is now 1-18-3 in games this season when it scores two goals or less. The win was a 2-0 shutout over Philadelphia earlier this month.

Up next

Both teams play again Sunday, with Utah at Chicago and the Panthers home against Montreal.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl