The chants of “We want 10!” were long gone and the Florida Panthers were just trying to survive against the Philadelphia Flyers after their four-goal lead in the first period shrunk to one in the third. They needed some breathing room and, with a whistle, they got their relief.
For the first time since the first period, the Panthers went on the power play. It has come and gone for them throughout the season. Lately, it has been a machine and never more so than Thursday. With 13:01 left, Anthony Duclair fired a centering pass from the edge of the right faceoff circle, into traffic, off a Flyer and past Carter Hart for a badly needed insurance goal. Florida could breathe again and hang on for a 6-3 win in Sunrise.
For the fifth time in six games, the Panthers scored multiple goals on the power play, and their three-goal outing was only their second of the season and first since January. It has been the fuel for this five-game winning streak — now their longest since they began the year with eight straight wins — and has helped Florida vault back into first place in the Eastern Conference after a three-game losing streak last month sent the Panthers tumbling from the top of the standings. Since the skid ended, Florida has gone 10 of 20 with the extra man, following a 2-of-5 performance in a loss to the Edmonton Oilers last month.
On Thursday, it let the Panthers survive an uncharacteristic second period. After Florida fired 18 shots on goal and took a 4-0 leadd in the first, Philadelphia outshot the Panthers, 16-7, in the second and outscored them 3-0 to cut their lead to 4-3 at the second intermission.
With 90 seconds left in the first period, most of the crowd at FLA Live Arena were chanting, “We want 10!” with the home team ahead 3-0 and they serenaded their team again a little more than a minute later when Carter Verhaeghe put Florida up 4-0 with 29.3 seconds left.
Verhaeghe scored twice in the opening period, as did fellow forward Sam Reinhart. Verhaeghe’s two both came in transition on shots from the slot, including a crafty turnaround goal to put the Panthers ahead 1-0 in the first four minutes. Reinhart’s both came on power plays, with the 26-year-old Canadian doing his damage in front of the net.
With 5:48 left in the first, All-Star left wing Jonathan Huberdeau ripped a shot from the left point and Reinhart tipped it by Hart to push Florida’s lead to 2-0. A little less than four minutes later, the Panthers were on the power play again and Reinhart again cashed in by swatting a puck out of the air after a shot by Huberdeau created a bouncing rebound.
Broward County’s favorite chant began a few seconds later and Florida was on the verge of making its last home until March 29 — and its first since Saturday — a three-period celebration.
Instead, the Flyers made it a game until the Panthers finally got a power-play chance again in the third.
Hats wound up on the ice after the insurance goal got past Hart. Reinhart had been in front of the net and Duclair’s centering pass hit someone.
It was a false alarm, though. The crowd would have to wait until 2:06 remained for the real thing, when Huberdeau and Reinhart got a 2-on-0 and Huberdeau gave up the puck. Reinhart got the hat trick and Huberdeau got his fourth assist to leapfrog Oilers center Connor McDavid for the league lead in points.
In their only home game before they go on the road for seven straight, the Panthers did what they usually do, even if it wasn’t the way they usually do it.
