Panthers goalie Anthony Stolarz made several big saves while earning a win in his 100th NHL appearance
Panthers goalie Anthony Stolarz made several big saves while earning a win in his 100th NHL appearance
The Florida Panthers wrapped up their latest homestand with a thrilling 4-3 comeback victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
Thanks to the shootout win, Florida ended its week at home going a perfect three-for-three and collecting all six points at Amerant Bank Arena, reclaiming the NHL’s best record before heading back on the road for a few games.
The big story on Thursday night was Sam Reinhart breaking out of his seven-game goalless drought with a huge pair (as Panthers broadcaster Randy Moller would say), his 40th and 41st goals of the season.
Aside from the flaming Reino, there were a couple other topics worth highlighting after the win.
To the takeaways we go…
Strong effort from Stolie
Goaltender Anthony Stolarz took the ice on Thursday for the 100th time in his NHL career.
To mark the occasion, Stolarz turned in yet another strong start in a Panthers sweater, earning his 11th win of the season and 38th of his NHL career.
It was another one of those nights where Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice found himself pointing out how impressed he was with Florida’s goaltender coming up big despite dealing with a non-traditional night.
It seems that’s what will happen when you’re as good, and consistent, of a team as Florida has been over the past couple months.
“For Anthony to get the win, this was a tough game for him,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “He’d go stretches where there weren't a lot action, and then you’ve got to be good. Their power play, they move the puck very, very quickly, and had some seem looks that they didn't get off. So happy for our goaltender.”
Lundell’s confidence growing
It’s been several weeks now that there has been a clear shift in the game of Panthers center Anton Lundell.
Something clicked for Lundell in mid-January, when Florida captain Sasha Barkov missed a few game with a lower-body injury.
Skating with the red-hot Sam Reinhart on his wing, Lundell suddenly hit a different gear and began showing a newfound confidence.
Through Jan. 15 Lundell was sitting on just two goals and 13 points though his first 39 games of the season.
He’s logged six goals and 10 points in 17 games since.
“It doesn't matter whether you're a veteran player, a Hall of Famer or a rookie, if you’re feeling it, as they say, nobody can describe it, you can't train for it, we're trying to figure out a way to do it, but things click,” Maurice said. “One goes for you and you feel like you have the confidence. He should be a confident man in the shootout, he’s been really, really good.”
A Chucky kinda night
While Reinhart and Barkov may have received most of the scoring props, Matthew Tkachuk had himself a very impactful night for Florida.
He had the primary assist on Reinhart’s 40th goal, he led all forwards in ice time, got off a pair of shots on seven attempts, threw a couple hits and found himself constantly mixing it up with Montreal’s players after the whistle.
As his head coach point out after the game, it was a night built for Tkachuk.
“He was moving his feet right from the start,” Maurice said. “If it's heavy and chippy around the net, he can play his best game. I think he's been an incredibly consistent player for us this year, really consistent. Right at the start (of the season) when he wasn't scoring, his game was as good as it was tonight, and then on top of that, he’s always dangerous with the puck.”
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz9X6jgg0gk[/embed]
LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA
Sam Reinhart has big night, Panthers come back to beat Montreal in shootout
Sam Reinhart scores 40th goal as epic season with Florida Panthers continues
Panthers rolling, set to wrap up homestand against struggling Canadiens
Three Takeaways: Starting strong not so easy anymore, Tkachuk in playoff-mode
