The Florida Panthers knew the good times couldn’t last forever — at least not in the way they went for the last three weeks. They knew they couldn’t average six goals per game for the rest of the season or threaten 10-goal outbursts every time they take the ice. The last three weeks were something of a miracle — a legitimately historic scoring binge, which vaulted the Panthers to the top of the NHL standings and put them on pace for one of the best offensive seasons in 30 years.
Even the best offenses can’t score four or five goals every single night, though, and Florida ran into one of those rare off nights to kick off its latest five-game road trip in Canada. It took the Panthers more than 32 minutes to finally score, and by then they were down two goals to the Calgary Flames and headed to a 5-1 blowout loss in Alberta.
The loss ended a nine-game points streak for Florida (26-8-5) and drops the Panthers to 5-7-3 outside of South Florida this season. The Panthers have lost 10 of their last 13 on the road.
This one was, mostly, uncharacteristic. The Flames (18-11-6) held Florida to just one goal for the first time in more than a month and only the third time all season. It was also the Panthers’ first regulation loss in more than a month and only their fifth multi-goal loss of the season. Florida had only 11 shots on goal in the first period and only eight in the second. The Panthers lead the NHL in shots on goal per game and Calgary outshot them 31-29 despite playing nearly the entire game with a lead.
Florida’s only goal came with 7:24 left in the second period when forward Sam Bennett, playing at the Scotiabank Saddledome for the first time since the Flames traded him to the Panthers last year, beat Calgary goaltender Jacob Markstrom to cut the Flames’ lead to 2-1. It briefly sparked Florida, which tested Markstrom three more times in the next three minutes before a penalty gave the Flames a power play and a chance to get the goal back. Calgary center Sean Monahan scored the Flames’ second power-play goal with 3:57 left in the second period and the Panthers’ latest comeback bid fell short.
