SUNRISE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers are not used to being stumped on offense, especially not when they’re playing in Sunrise, yet there they were, down by two goals early in the second period and struggling to find openings in the San Jose Sharks’ sturdy defense. A few minutes into the period, Andrew Brunette went with the Panthers’ frequent go-to emergency measure, and moved Jonathan Huberdeau up to the top line to play with Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe.
There was a comeback to be had and Florida wasn’t going to miss its chance.
The revamped line got the Panthers within one goal when Barkov scored in the first two minutes of the third period, then tied the game when Huberdeau found the back of the net with 10:22 remaining, ultimately forcing overtime. With 3:52 left in the extra session, forward Sam Bennett scored on a one-timer from Huberdeau and Florida won, 5-4.
With a three-point performance, Huberdeau, for the moment, took the league lead with 62 points.
The Panthers were down two with less than 13 minutes to go and came back to win, as they so often do when they get to play at home. Florida now has six wins when trailing at the end of the second period, the most in the NHL
Although they needed a comeback, the Panthers dominated San Jose in most statistical categories. They had a 49-34 edge in shots on goal, a 57-26 edge in scoring chances and a 27-18 edge in high-danger chances. The Sharks stayed afloat mostly by blocking 26 shots, scoring twice on the power play and getting a spectacular performance from goaltender James Reimer, who made 44 saves on 49 shots.
For the first period, San Jose even went toe to toe with Florida. The Panthers only had a 17-16 advantage in shots on goal in the opening period and both had seven high-danger chances, the Sharks just capitalized on more of them. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first 17:17 before defenseman Gustav Forlsing finally got Florida on the board off a one-timer in the final minute of the first period.
It kept the game manageable for the Panthers, even after they gave up another goal 91 seconds into the second period, and the lineup change helped spur the comeback.
In the second period, Florida had a 25-9 edge in scoring chances. Even though the Sharks built their lead in the second, the Panthers started to control possession, which set the stage for a third-period eruption.
It started with the new-look top line, just 86 seconds into the third period. Barkov charged down the slot and Huberdeau fed him from the right side, teeing up the star center to score and cut San Jose’s lead to 4-3. The Sharks answered with a power-play goal, but Florida answered less than three minutes later when forwards Sam Reinhart and Mason Marchment jammed at a puck beneath Reimer’s pads, and Marchment eventually poked it home.
A little more than two minutes after Marchment’s goal, Huberdeau tied the game.
In overtime, the Panthers lost the opening faceoff, but held the puck for the entire period once they got it back. After a minute, Huberdeau set up behind the net and saw Bennett cutting the goal. He made a precision pass his teammate and Bennett delivered Florida another come-from-behind victory.
