Six different Panthers get on the board as Sergei Bobrovsky got his second shutout against Ottawa this season

The Florida Panthers went into Ottawa in the middle of their worst stretch of the season with winning two of their last ten games.

Florida took control from the opening puck drop and defeated the Ottawa Senators in road game number 40 by a final of 6-0 to win the season series over their division rivals with one matchup left on Apr. 9.

Panthers opened up the scoring just 1:02 into the first period.

Sam Bennett quickly brought the puck up the left wing, rimmed it around the boards, where Matthew Tkachuk was the first to the puck on the far side half wall. With the Senators having their eyes on Brandon Montour deep in the zone, they lost track of Nick Cousins. Tkachuk fed Cousins in the slot, where the wrister got through Joonas Korpisalo to give the Panthers the early lead.

Cousins lit the lamp for the first time in 12 games.

It took only 33 seconds for them to get their second goal of the night. Florida established time in the zone and were faster to the loose puck after a save. Evan Rodrigues retrieved it at the end boards, where he and Eetu Luostarinen got the puck low-to-high to defenseman Dmitry Kulikov. The slap shot from the blue line got through a screen by Anton Lundell and past the glove of Korpisalo to give Florida a two-goal lead.

That was Kulikov’s first goal of the season, and his first goal in a Panthers uniform since Dec. 17 2015

The penalty troubles continued early on as Florida went to the box four times in the period but kept the Senators off the scoresheet.

Sergei Bobrovsky made five saves while the Panthers were short-handed in the first and prevented the Senators from getting second chance opportunities.

Despite being down a man for 7:08 of the first, the Panthers ended the period on a high note with drawing a penalty as the period expired, as Ridley Grieg got Lundell up high after a board battle.

Florida did not score on their abbreviated power play, but extended the lead to three. Kulikov’s shot from the point was stopped, Lundell was first to the puck, played give-and-go with Luostarinen, and then threaded the needle from a sharp angle below the goal line where the lead got to three for the Cats.

Goal of the year candidate?

The route continued less than two minutes later. Sam Bennett joined in on the scoring with his 19^th of the season. As the puck bounced off the board and into the Senators zone, Tkachuk grabbed it while drawing multiple defenders, dropped it off to Bennett in the slot where he nailed a wrister past the blocker. The doors started to blow open at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Korpisalo was replaced by Anton Forsberg at 4:19 of the second. Korpisalo made 12 saves on 16 shots.

Florida got their fifth different goal scorer on the night a few minutes before the second period ended. Ottawa’s defense was discombobulated after losing a battle at the far side wall. Florida quickly cycled the puck and after Aleksander Barkov’s backhand shot was blocked, where he later retrieved the loose puck in the right circle. Barkov then zipped the it across to Sam Reinhart where he easily got it through a slightly open net for his 53^rd goal of the season.

Reinhart now needs seven goals in the next five games to break the Panthers franchise record for goals in a season.

During their 2-7-1 stretch, Florida had the worst power play conversion rate in the NHL at just under 7%. The power play got back on the scoresheet for the first time since Mar. 24 to give them a 6-0 lead at 3:54 of the third. Barkov and Reinhart played catch from the bumper to the right flank. While Tkachuk was parked in the blue paint, Barkov set him up in front for a quick tap for his 24^th of the season.

Tkachuk got three points (one goal, two assists) on the night.

Florida outscored the Senators 11-0 in their two matchups in Ottawa this season, both with shutouts by Bobrovsky. 

The Panthers killed all six of Ottawa's power play with only allowing six shot in just over 11 minutes on the penalty kill. 

That was Florida's 26th road win of the season with one game left. 

Head Coach Paul Maurice got win number 865, passing former Panthers assistant coach Lindy Ruff for fourth all time for wins as a head coach.

Florida finishes their road schedule with an important showdown in Boston on Saturday at 3:30. The Panthers will not only need to win in regulation, but would need the Bruins to lose an additional game in regulation for Florida to be back in control of their destiny for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.

There are still five games to go where nothing is set in stone as far as who Florida will play in round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Florida’s magic number to clinch home ice in round one is at eight after their victory on Thursday. They own the tiebreaker over the Toronto Maple Leafs with seven more regulation wins at 39.

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