Florida has lost back-to-back games after winning their previous nine in a row

The Florida Panthers welcomed in the Anaheim Ducks to Sunrise on Monday afternoon for a Monday matinee on Dr. Martin Luther King Day Jr. Day.

In a game where the Panthers had multiple two goal leads, the Ducks answered back twice, eventually winning 48 seconds into overtime thanks to Alex Killorn.

Anaheim also snapped their seven-game losing streak to Florida.

The Panthers welcomed in former defenseman Radko Gudas back to Sunrise for the first time since the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final last season.

Gudas received a loud ovation from the crowd at Amerant Bank Arena after the first television timeout.

The start of the matinee had the puck mostly in the Ducks zone. Anton Lundell got a great chance early when John Gibson stuck out his leg to not give Lundell an open net.

Florida would be first to go on the power play as Eetu Luostarinen was cross-checked by Sam Carrick.

Panthers struck first 8:29 into the first period with the second power play unit off the rush.

Oliver-Ekman Larsson would get the puck quickly up the ice where Evan Rodrigues attempted a centering feed, (which the play was slightly broken up by Anaheim) and Sam Bennett was at the right place at the right time, driving to the net and scoring on the backhand to make it a 1-0 hockey game.

The first power play unit had a flurry of chances, where Sam Reinhart was set up, but could not find the back of the net.

Goaltender Anthony Stolarz did not face a lot of shots during the first period, but made a stop on a Ducks rush on Ross Johnston, where Stolarz kicked out his right pad to make the save.

Ducks would get their first power play of the game when Ekman-Larsson went to the box for slashing, but after the Ducks got their third shot of the period. Florida would end up killing the penalty, but not before a shorthanded score.

Niko Mikkola broke the puck out of the zone and as he drove up the far side wall two-on-three he fed Reinhart, where it was tapped in on the doorstep to double the lead at 17:35 of the first.

Reinhart now has goals in seven straight on specials teams, six on the power play, one short handed.

Florida had only allowed four shots on goal in the period, with the fourth one being a score that cut the Ducks deficit to one.

Off the draw, the Panthers mishandled the puck at the blue line which allowed Alex Killorn to get a breakaway opportunity. Killorn converted with Stolarz at the top of his crease then reaching with his right leg where Killorn was able to lift the puck for the score at 19:56 of the first.

Second period went a bit differently than the first. Although the Panthers did not surrender their lead. Ducks were starting to spend more time in the Panthers zone at the start.

Florida early on had a valuable scoring chance when Troy Terry had a centering feed on the doorstep into an open net, but Brandon Montour took away the shooting lane. On that same shift, Terry went to the box for hooking Matthew Tkachuk.

With a chance to extend their lead, Panthers lose a board battle on the power play where the Ducks would get a quick breakout. On a give-and-go with former Panther Frank Vatrano, Henrique got the puck back in the slot and beat Stolarz under his glove.

There would be a response as the Panthers would get a power play in the middle of the second, where Florida would take the lead once again.

Carter Verhaeghe had a shot go off the near side post, Florida would retrieve the puck and would get it back to Verhaeghe, and he would not miss this time. He got a pass at the top of the left wing circle where he beat Gibson far side with a wrister at 9:36 of the second period.

Florida would kill a penalty by Ekman-Larsson and extend their lead shortly after. On the rush, Aaron Ekblad broke up a centering feed while on a long shift in the Panthers zone and quickly broke the puck out where they scored on the counter attack.

With some speed on the rush Tkachuk fed Bennett as multiple Ducks jerseys drew to Gibson’s right, and scored into the open net to give the Panthers a two-goal lead at 12:49 of the second frame as the Panther got their second two-goal lead of the afternoon.

That was Bennett’s second of the game, 10th of the season.

The lead, like the first one, did not last.

At points, it looked as if Florida were going to be running away with it, Evan Rodrigues got a breakaway opportunity seconds after they extended their lead.

Anaheim would not go away as the Ducks won a board battle in the Panthers zone, lifted the puck out of the zone where Jakob Silfverberg was faster to the puck in the neutral zone and scored on a partial breakaway at 17:58 to cut the Ducks deficit to one.

Second period saw only 8:57 of five-on-five time (per natural stat trick) as both teams had multiple man advantages, with some four-on-four time in between.

Florida finished the period strong as Tkachuk had a drive to the net around Gudas and Gibson just got the right leg up to stop the Panthers from getting another two-goal lead.

In the little time that each team had five skaters on, Florida led in shots 13 to six through 40 minutes. The Panthers led the time in the offensive zone 18 minutes to 12.

The way the game script went, no lead was not safe whatsoever. Even with Florida having a record of 19-0-1 when going into the final 40 minutes with a lead.

After William Lockwood missed an opportunity to get his first NHL goal, the Ducks tied it at four.

Anaheim would generate speed through the zone and Troy Terry fought off Mikkola’s check where then he found a clear lane to the net. With Stolarz up on his crease and down, Terry shot backhand and scored top shelf on the short side at 3:45 of the third.

Anaheim took away most of Florida’s shooting lanes in the first seven minutes of the third as two of their nine shot attempts reached the net. The time in the offensive zone and scoring chances would come just prior to the second television timeout.

The physicality would pick up as Vatrano, McTavish, Tkachuk and Bennett would all go to the box for offsetting roughing minors. McTavish drove to the net while fighting off Bennett’s check and collided with Stolarz.

Captain Aleksander Barkov would also miss the last five-plus minutes of the third period with a lower-body injury. Head Coach Paul Maurice said that Barkov should suit up when the Panthers play next on Wednesday.

Florida and Anaheim would have a minute and 54 seconds of four-on-four where neither team was able to convert. Bennett had a few chances to bury his third goal of the afternoon.

This game would require overtime as the Panthers and Ducks would go to the extra frame for the fourth time in the last eight matchups. Anaheim would score 48 seconds into three-on-three hockey.

Verhaeghe had his shot blocked and Cam Fowler would get the Ducks into transition two-on-one, where Killorn’s backhand shot as the trailed the play was saved by Stolarz. Anaheim would then retrieve the rebound and Killorn got a second chance for a game-winner on a wrister past Stolarz to give the Ducks the 5-4 overtime win in Sunrise.

Anaheim broke their seven-game losing streak to Florida on Monday afternoon, and after the Panthers had their nine-game winning streak snapped on Saturday, now have a two-game skid.

Florida welcomes the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night for the second of four matchups on Wednesday night from Amerant Bank Arena.

Florida shutout Detroit 2-0 back on Nov. 2nd. 

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