Colby Guy
SUNRISE — With injuries to Sasha Barkov and Anthony Duclair, the Florida Panthers needed some new faces to step up. Maxim Mamin was that guy Saturday afternoon.
Scoring two separate game-tying goals — including the one which helped Florida send this game to overtime with 2:34 remaining — Mamin stepped up to the plate and delivered.
The Panthers ended up winning their third consecutive home game with a 4-3 shootout win against the St. Louis Blues.
“I’m feeling better game to game,” Mamin said. “If you are playing more, you start to feel more confident. It’s helped me. I feel good now.”
With injuries in the Florida lineup, the 26-year-old found himself on the second line with Anton Lundell and Carter Verhaeghe.
Mamin has excelled.
“I find the last couple of games, he’s been trending,” interim coach Andrew Brunette said. “It’s a nice little line there with him and [Verhaeghe] and [Lundell.] I think they played really well.
“They possess the puck, I think Mamin did a really good job hounding pucks and staying on pucks and being strong on pucks, and the glimpses when he plays his best is when he’s strong on his stick and strong on the puck and the rest usually takes care of itself.”
Mamin spent parts of the past three seasons in the KHL with CSKA Moskow after leaving the Panthers upon being sent to the minors in 2018.
He returned to the Panthers on a one-year deal this past offseason. Before leaving, Mamin had two goals and three points in 33 NHL games.
“It has helped me, guys always talk to me if I don’t understand something,” he said. “They tell me what to do and it really helps me.”
St. Louis opened the scoring Saturday when Logan Brown made some space for himself in front of the net and deflected the puck past Sergei Bobrovsky five minutes in.
Just under two minutes later, Mamin found the back of the net for his first goal of the season with a wrist shot from the slot to tie the game back up.
Things stayed quiet until the second period when Ryan Lomberg was interfered with by Scott Perunovich but was sent to the box for embellishing the call 5:18 into the frame.
Just over a minute later, Jake Walman took advantage of the extra space provided by the 4-on-4 and sent a slapshot from the slot past Bobrovsky to put the Blues up 2-1.
With two minutes to go in the second period, Sam Reinhart slid home a rebound of a Lucas Carlsson shot to make it 2-2.
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That gave Reinhart his sixth point in the past three games, including goals in each of those games.
“He’s been real good for us wherever we’ve played him,” Brunette said. “We’re trying to find spots for him and get used to him and he’s trying to get used to us.
“It’s really hard for a new player coming in, and he’s got some real good chemistry with his line right now and they’re playing at a high level, so I’m feeling really good about his game right now.”
Kevin Connauton almost gave Florida the lead with 16:05 to go in the third period, but he hit the post with a slap shot.
The puck came back into the St. Louis zone and Brandon Saad scored on a one-timer to give the Blues the 3-2 lead with 15:31 to go.
The Panthers sent Bobrovsky to the bench with 2:36 remaining to get the extra attacker one the ice.
The decision quickly paid off.
Mamin tied the game with his second goal of the game with 2:34 left, scoring off Anton Lundell’s faceoff win.
In overtime, Florida got a power play opportunity with 1:57 to go when Brayden Schenn tripped Lundell, but it was not able to convert.
The Panthers went 0-4 on the power play to finish the game.
The game headed to the shootout, where goals from Lundell and Reinhart propelled Florida to their 14th home victory in 15 home games, tying an NHL record.
FLORIDA PANTHERS AT ST. LOUIS BLUES
- WHEN: Tuesday, 8 p.m.
- WHERE: Enterprise Center, St. Louis
- TV/STREAMING: Bally Sports Florida
- RADIO: WQAM 560
- Last season: Did not play