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The Florida Panthers just kept getting better as the game went on after a long layoff. That was enough to erase a late deficit then pounce for an overtime winner in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference's best teams.
Sam Reinhart tied it in the final minute of regulation, then Aaron Ekblad got free for a breakway goal just 16 seconds into OT to give the Panthers a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night, an abrupt turnaround to a game Florida otherwise controlled despite being behind late.
Florida never led in regulation but outshot the Hurricanes 22-8 over the final two periods in a matchup of the conference's top two teams in terms of points percentage, as well as marking the Panthers’ first game in more than two weeks due to the All-Star break.
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Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart, second from left, celebrates his game tying goal with teammates during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
"For us coming off that break, it was grinding game," interim Panthers coach Andrew Brunette said. "And we were very ready to grind, ready to do the little things, to find a way.
"We didn't have our best game with the puck, but I thought we did a lot of the right things. We defended in packs. We kept them a little bit to the outside. And we had energy, and I thought we got better as the game went on — especially in the third period."
Aleksander Barkov also scored a highlight-reel goal in the second period for Florida, which had notched a franchise-record 12 wins in January along
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