SUNRISE, Fla. – Thanks to a pair of late goals, the Florida Panthers managed to pick up a point in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday.
Deserving of the second point, the defending champs led 42-19 in scoring chances in defeat.
With the loss, they now sit at 5-5-1.
“It’s something we’ve got to go through here,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “There were parts of our offensive game that were right. The analytics will be good, but there’s other parts we’ve got to get better at.”
Getting off to a good start, the Panthers pressed the attack in the first period.
Even with the Ducks earning a pair of power plays, Florida led 10-6 in scoring chances.
Keeping the opposition off the board early, Daniil Tarasov laid out to rob rookie Beckett Sennecke with a huge left pad save during Anaheim’s second power play of the period.
“He was huge,” forward Anton Lundell said of Tarasov. “Without him, it would’ve been even worse. He kept us in the game and gave us a chance to win the game. He was amazing.”
But even with the Panthers in control, the Ducks broke the ice in the second period.
On the penalty kill – the third of the period for Anaheim – Leo Carlsson blasted a one-timer from the right circle past Tarasov to make it 1-0 with a shorthanded goal at 9:57.
Earning a 5-on-3 power play later in the period, the Ducks cashed in on their two-man advantage and doubled their lead when Cutter Gauthier scored to make it 2-0 at 12:26.
"You give a team with skill a 5-on-3, the chances are they're going to score on those," Maurice said.
With one minute left in the middle frame, A.J. Greer fought Ross Johnston.
Finally rewarded, the Panthers got on the board in the third period.
After some great work by Eetu Luostarinen to dig the puck out of the boards, Mackie Samoskevich set up Lundell for a clutch goal from the slot to make it 2-1 at 11:12.
