Florida Panthers drop second straight, lose to Carolina in overtime 3-2

After losing to San Jose in a hard fought battle, the Florida Panthers were heading into Carolina looking to grab two points.

The Panthers got off to a rough start as Carolina pinned them in their own zone early on. Every chance the Hurricanes got, they threw at Reimer. Despite being peppered early, Reimer prevailed and kept the game scoreless.

But like all goalies though, no one is perfect and eventually one shot will find the back of the net. With six minutes left in the opening period on the man advantage, Elias Lindholm tipped in a shot from Sebastian Aho. The goal would be the first and only goal in the period as Florida would head to the locker room a goal down.

After completely getting dominated in the first, the Panthers changed the momentum of the game, applying loads of pressure down deep in Carolina territory. But no matter how many shots they took, Cam Ward was there to deny every one of them. At times, it seemed as if the Cats would go goalless in this match.

The second period concluded like the first, with Carolina protecting their one goal lead. Only difference though, the shift in momentum was in Florida’s hands now. A big third period would await for the Cats, as they would look to even out the game.

Like the second period, the Panthers got off to a great start to open up the third and found the back of the net early on. Just under the five-minute mark in the third, Nick Bjugstad crashed the net, only to find that his shot would squeak through. His goal would be his sixth of the year and would tie the game at one:

Shortly after Bjugstad’s goal, Jeff Skinner spoiled the party and regained his side’s one goal lead. Off a turnover at the Panthers blue line, Jeff Skinner received a quick pass from Derek Ryan and abruptly slotted home the Canes second goal.

The Panthers were back at square one after the Jeff Skinner goal, desperately fighting to tie the game once again. With lots of pressure poured on in the Hurricanes zone, the Panthers just couldn’t break the bank nor find the game’s tying goal.

But you know who did? Aleksander Barkov! That’s right, with just under two minutes remaining in regulation, Barkov buried a rebound off an initial shot from Ekblad. His goal would send the Cats into overtime, collecting a point at minimum.

Overtime was nothing short of entertaining as both sides exchanged chances at both ends of the rink. It was Carolina who would come out on top as Noah Hanifin buried the game’s winning goal with two seconds remaining in overtime:

Overall, the Panthers played well in parts of the game, but not the entire game. Lack of finishing was the deciding factor in this one, which will continue to haunt the team going forward. The Florida Panthers are back in action against the New York Islanders on Monday, December 4th @7:30pm.