SUNRISE, Fla. — Anton Lundell, Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk scored in the second period as the Florida Panthers beat Boston 5-2 on Wednesday night, snapping the Bruins’ seven-game winning streak.
The Panthers took advantage of seven power-play chances by scoring three goals with the man advantage, including two in the second period.
Sam Reinhart and Aaron Ekblad also scored for Florida. Spencer Knight, who spent two seasons at Boston College before joining the Panthers in 2021, made 37 saves.
“We needed some wins because we have been outshooting opponents and playing really well, we’re just not getting the wins,” Barkov said. “(Wednesday) we deserved to win. We played a solid game and now we just need to keep going. We know they are a really good team, and a good team for a reason. We played the best game we could play, but we can get better.”
Boston got power-play goals from Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak. Jeremy Swayman made 26 saves.
Florida went into the game leading the NHL in shots on goal and had been outshot in just three games before Boston took 15 shots on Knight in the opening period and ended the game with a 39-29 advantage.
The Panthers took the lead on a power-play goal from Reinhart 1:49 into the game on a give-and-go from Tkachuk.
Boston evened the score on McAvoy’s slap shot with a 5-on-3 advantage with 2:46 remaining in the first.
Florida finished killing a four-minute penalty on Lundell that carried into the second period, and then Lundell giving his team the lead for good with his second goal of the season at 4:41.
The Panthers added two more goals in the final five minutes of the second to take a 4-1 lead into the third.
“We were better in the second and third period, for sure,” Florida Coach Paul Maurice said. “Boston is a dangerous team, playing with a lot of confidence. They have an awful lot of speed. We built during the game. Spencer Knight was really strong in the first period and gave you that good feeling from your goaltender and we really built off of that.”
Boston had a second 5-on-3 advantage in the third and again cashed in with a slap shot from the slot – this one coming from Pastrnak.
The Panthers, again, killed the remainder of the penalty and limited the damage.
With 2:10 left, Ekblad scored into the empty net.
Florida entered on a three-game winless streak, with losses in four of its previous five games.
“We haven’t harped on it a lot, but (we have had problems with) turnovers and taking too many minor penalties,’’ Boston Coach Jim Montgomery said. “I thought the first period was a really good period, and the second – until they scored the second goal – I thought we were carrying play again.”
NOTES: The Panthers started last season with 11 consecutive home wins, tying the NHL record set by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1963. Boston, which returns home to face Carolina on Friday, has a chance to break the record. … Boston forward Craig Smith played in his 800th NHL game on Wednesday night. Ekblad recorded his 100th NHL goal.
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