Carolina Hurricanes Fight Back, Beat Florida Panthers

SUNRISE — Early on Thursday, it looked as if the Florida Panthers celebrated the New Year just a little too hard as they allowed the Carolina Hurricanes to do whatever they liked.

Late in the first, Carolina had a 1-0 lead and a 13-1 shot advantage.

Paul Maurice even had one of his famed tirades on the bench to try and get his guys going.

The Panthers did, eventually, wake up and finally give Sergei Bobrovsky some help.

Just not enough.

Anton Lundell tied the score at 1 early in the second, but the Hurricanes scored a pair in the third and beat the Panthers 3-1.

Carolina scored the game-winning goal with a controversial play with 7:30 remaining.

After Jesperi Kotkaniemi slid into Bobrovsky, Matthew Tkachuk would not allow him up.

Jaccob Slavin scored, the goal stood, and the Panthers did not recover.

NOTES: HURRICANES @ PANTHERS

• Bobrovsky was named to the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Quarter Century team Thursday. The NHL will announced the Panthers’ 2000-25 team on Friday evening. Bobrovsky won both of his Vezina Trophies while playing for the Blue Jackets.
• Speaking of Bobrovsky, he played in his 269th game with the Panthers Thursday putting him in second place in franchise history behind Roberto Luongo (572).
• Brent Burns scored his fourth career goal in the opening minute of a game. The only defensemen with more in NHL history are Ray Bourque (9), Larry Murphy (6) and Sandis Ozolinsh (5).
• Two linesmen needed medical attention in the third peroiod: Tyson Baker got hit by Jack Roslovic; Tommy Hughes gets hit by puck from Nate Schmidt. Hughes left the game.

HOW THEY SCORED

• Hurricanes 1, Panthers 0 (0:35 1st): Brent Burns shot off the halfwall clipped Sasha Barkov in front of the net and went over the shoulder of Sergei Bobrovsky.
• Panthers 1, Hurricanes 1 (2:17 2nd): Evan Rodrigues gets the puck up along the end boards, feeds Jesper Boqvist who slips it to a wide-open Anton Lundell in the slot.
• Hurricanes 2, Panthers 1 (12:30 2nd): Jaccob Slavin scores with Bobrovsky down on the ice after Jesperi Kotkaniemi slid into him. The officials ruled there was no goalie interference because Matthew Tkachuk kept Kotkaniemi on the ice when the shot came through.
• Hurricanes 3, Panthers 1 (19:32 3rd EN): Martin Necas ends it.

FHN’S 3 STARS OF THE GAME

• 1. Pyotr Kochetkov, Carolina
• 2. Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida
• 3. Jaccob Slavin, Carolina

ON DECK: GAME No. 40

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS AT FLORIDA PANTHERS

• When: Friday, 7 p.m.
• Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise 
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (Naples/FTM)
• National TV: NHL Network
• Streaming: Panthers+
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Season Series (Penguins Lead 1-0) — At Florida: Friday; March 23. At Pittsburgh: Penguins 5, Panthers 4 OT (Dec. 3).
• Last Season: Panthers won 3-0
• All-time Regular Season Series: Penguins lead 57-38-8, 4 ties
• All-time Playoff Series: Florida d. Pittsburgh 4-3, 1996 Eastern Conference finals
• Up Next for the Panthers: Monday at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m.