Florida kept pace with Pittsburgh, remain one point back in Wild Card race

What a difference a couple days can make.

With their season hanging in the balance, the Florida Panthers dug deep and came up with back-to-back wins on consecutive nights in Toronto and Montreal.

Their win Thursday over the Canadiens kept Florida one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final Wild Card spot and four back of the New York Islanders for the first spot.

Pittsburgh has a game in hand on both the Panthers and Isles.

The story of the game was Matthew Tkachuk. The story of the back-to-back was Alex Lyon.

Tkachuk’s hat truck fueled a dominant win by the Panthers, one that will only build on the confidence gained the night before in Toronto.

As for Lyon, all he did was get called into action at the last minute, start on consecutive nights in two different cities (for the second time this season) and come up with huge wins in both.

Lyon stopped 56 of the 60 shots he faced, coming up with several timely saves in both victories.

If the Panthers are able to complete this comeback and reach the postseason, Lyon’s contributions to the cause both this week and earlier in the season should absolutely not be forgotten or overlooked.

Regarding individual accolades, an honorable mention must go to Anton Lundell. He scored twice and showed a confidence and swagger rarely seen from the 21-year-old this season.

He centered a line with Tkachuk and Eetu Luostarinen. The trio combined for five goals, three assists, 11 shots and a +6 rating.

FIRST PERIOD

Florida got off to a fast start on the shoulders of first line we haven’t seen since last season, featuring Sasha Barkov centering Carter Verhaeghe and Anthony Duclair. They pinned Montreal in their zone for almost the entire first minute of the game but couldn’t get one past former Panthers goalie Samuel Montembeault.

Unfortunately, right after that, Alex Lyon gave up an incredibly soft goal to give Montreal a 1-0 lead 83 seconds in.

Sean Farrell, playing in just his second NHL game, carried the puck down the left boards and slid a harmless shot along the ice toward Florida’s goal.

Lyon didn’t try to play the puck with his stick, perhaps thinking it was going wide of the post, but the puck instead squeezed between the post and the bottom of Lyon’s right pad.

The hero of Wednesday’s game in Toronto was off to an inauspicious start in Montreal.

Fortunately for the Panthers, it wouldn’t be long before the game would get back to even.

Anton Lundell jumped on a Matthew Tkachuk rebound and put the puck past Montembeault at the 4:09 mark.

Florida dominated the first period for the most post, at one point leading Montreal in shots 13-2 with just under eight minutes left.

The Canadiens recorded the final four shots of the first, but Lyon stopped them all.

SECOND PERIOD

Lomberg made a great play a few minutes into the second, blocking a shot, chasing down the puck and drawing a penalty on Justin Barron.

Florida would capitalize on the power play, with Tkachuk finishing a pretty passing play that saw the puck move from Brandon Montour to Sam Reinhart to Chucky at the side of the net.

Less than two minutes later, Tkachuk scored again, taking a drop pass from Lundell and wiring a wrist shot off the far post and in.

The goal was his 37th, but it was also his 100th point on the year.

Lyon came up with his biggest save of the period after Mike Hoffman found Rafael Harvey-Pinard streaking down the slot. Lyon came out and challenged the shot, making a stop with the front of his goalie pants.

Florida generated several high-end chances, including a Lundell breakaway and a near-hat trick tally for Tkachuk, but took a well-earned two-goal lead into the final frame.

THIRD PERIOD

It took over four minutes for either team to register a shot on goal once the third period began.

Montour got a great look from the slot on Montembeault after a puck bounced off the back boards and right out in front of the net, but the Habs tendy made a nice sliding save.

Lundell’s second goal of the game was great. He stole the puck from Nick Suzuki at the Montreal blue line and made a great backhand-forehand move on Montembeault to give Florida a three-goal lead midway through the third.

Florida remained in control, but with 1:25 to go, Harvey-Pinard picked up a power play goal with a high-slot tip from the slot, making it a 4-2 game.

That led to Montreal pulling Montembeault in the final minute in a last-ditch effort to come back.

Instead, Tkachuk would score into the empty net, sealing Florida’s win with his second hat trick of the season and fifth of his career.

GAME NOTES

• undefined

• undefined

• undefined

• undefined

• undefined

• undefined