Florida Panthers Outlast the Sens in Scoring Fest, 7-5

Following two consecutive losses on their road trip, the Florida Panthers headed for Ottawa, searching for a win against the inconsistent Senators.

James Reimer would receive the start, opposing former Panther Craig Anderson for the Senators.

The Florida Panthers would begin the first period flat-footed on defense, allowing budding superstar forward Matt Duchene to sneak through and score on a breakaway opportunity (1-0 OTT).

With the Sens striking first, the Cats suddenly realized they cannot take the Sens lightly and applied consistent o-zone pressure.

Florida’s effort, particularly its gritty fourth line, was finally rewarded, with Troy Brouwer potting the equalizer off of a gorgeous feed from Juho Lammikko (1-1).

With the game suddenly tied, the Senators took an unnecessary penalty, providing Florida’s red-hot power play with its first chance on the night.

The Cats practically wasted no time capitalizing on the man advantage, as captain Aleksander Barkov scored on the doorstep, following a rebound opportunity (2-1 FLA).

Following several high-quality offensive scoring chances by Florida, generated by Mike Hoffman and Micheal Haley, the Cats extended their lead, courtesy of forward Jared McCann (3-1 FLA).

Off a steal by Dryden Hunt, McCann received a tremendous outlet pass from Hunt and made no mistake sniping one past Craig Anderson on a breakaway. Hunt picked up a primary assist on the play (Hunt’s 1st point this season).

Following several outstanding stops by James Reimer and a penalty called on Florida, the officiating crew decided to conclude the first period of play because of a medical emergency in the stands.

After the intermission break, both teams would play the remaining 3:37 of the 1st period along with the entire second period.

With the penalty nearly killed off, Florida suffered a devastating blow, as Vincent Trocheck was stretchered off the ice with a gruesome, long-term knee injury.

Florida capped off the first period by successfully killing the penalty, and tacking on a fourth goal, courtesy of Evgeni Dadonov’s buzzer-beating tap in (4-1 FLA).

However, the relentless Senators battled back, slowly but surely. Following an egregious turnover committed by James Reimer, Matt Duchene would be gifted an open-net goal, reaching double-digit goals on the season and slicing Florida’s lead in half (4-2 FLA).

Minutes later, with Ottawa on the power-play (Jared McCann slashing penalty), Matt Duchene’s effort would generate yet another goal for Ottawa, connecting with rookie phenom Drake Batherson for a brilliantly located, top-shelf deflection (4-3 FLA).

With momentum rapidly slipping away from Florida, the Cats realized that no lead is safe. The dynamic fourth line would eventually produce another timely goal for the Panthers, courtesy of enforcer Micheal Haley (5-3 FLA).

Off a magnificent assist from Juho Lammikko, who was stationed behind Anderson’s net, Micheal Haley quickly sniped a shot directly past Anderson’s blocker and into the goal.

Lammikko registered his second assist of the contest (1st career multi-point game) on Haley’s first goal of the season (1st game back).

The physicality and intensity increased from both sides. Bobby Ryan and Jared McCann would both be called for simultaneous penalties, resulting in four-on-four action for two minutes.

The Panthers would regain their three-goal cushion, with Juho Lammikko dishing a precise, cross-ice pass for the finish by Frank Vatrano (6-3 FLA). The assist was Juho’s third of the night, all three being primary helpers.

The second period concluded with the Florida Panthers carrying a commanding three-goal lead into the dressing room.

The third period commenced with Ottawa clearly intensifying their offensive zone pressure, mustering up countless shot attempts against backup netminder James Reimer.