Panthers goalie Spencer Knight speaks after Florida's 3-2 win in St. Louis on Feb. 6. The Florida Panthers are heading into the 4 Nations Face-off break feeling pretty, pretty good. A dominant second period helped Matthew Tkachuk and the Panthers defeat his brother Brady and the Ottawa Senators 5-1 on Saturday night at Amerant Bank Arena. Despite the Panthers logging nine of the first 10 shots on goal during the opening minutes of the game, it was actually Ottawa that struck first. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] With Carter Verhaeghe in the penalty box for cross-checking, Drake Batherson found Brady Tkachuk all alone at the bottom of the right circle and he swung around and put the puck under Sergei Bobrovsky to give the visitors an early 1-0 lead. That would be the only goal during the opening frame despite the two teams combining for 25 shots on goal. An early second period power play would lead to the other Tkachuk brother lighting the lamp. All alone in the right circle, similarly to his brother’s goal, Tkachuk swung around and snuck the puck inside the far past to tie the game at one. Florida took their first lead of the night on a play that started in their own end. The puck was tied up along the boards and Ridley Greig decided to start punching Sam Reinhart before tackling him to the ice. Then on the delayed penalty Florida took control of the puck in Ottawa’s end and Sasha Barkov deflected a shot by Tkachuk to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead. A sweet little end-to-end rush by Gus Forsling that he capped off with a twisted wrist shot put the Panthers up 3-1 with 3:34 left in the middle frame. Just 92 seconds later, Sam Bennett wired a one-timer over Ullmark’s shoulder, giving the Cats a commanding 4-1 advantage to take into the second intermission. Florida did their best to take the Sens to shutdown city during the third period, limiting their shots and scoring chances until Anton Lundell popped in a shorthanded empty-net goal with under 90 seconds to go. With the win, the Cats will hold on to the Atlantic Division lead for at least another couple weeks. On to 4 Nations. Enjoy the break, ya’ll! QUICK THOUGHTS Tkachuk has now scored in six straight games for Florida. During that span, he’s racked up seven goals and 13 points. Tkachuk also has five multi-point outings over his past eight games. Reinhart’s assist on Tkachuk’s power play goal was the 600th point of his NHL career. He also extended his point streak to six games, with nine points during the stretch. Speaking of six-game point streaks, Sasha Barkov now has three goals and 11 points during his run. Every single Panthers player (who isn’t a goaltender) recorded at least one shot on goal. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers host Senators in battle of Tkachuk brothers ahead of 4 Nations break [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-host-senators-in-battle-of-tkachuk-brothers-ahead-of-4-nations-break] The Hockey Show: Bill Lindsay talks 4 Nations, Panthers aiming at repeat, who's hot in the East [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/the-hockey-show-bill-lindsay-talks-4-nations-panthers-aiming-at-repeat-whos-hot-in-the-east] Three takeaways: Matthew Tkachuk on fire, Florida finishing tough stretch strong [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/three-takeaways-matthew-tkachuk-on-fire-florida-finishing-tough-stretch-strong] Tkachuk goal with 11.8 left sends Panthers to 3-2 victory in St. Louis [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/reinhart-goal-with-11-8-left-sends-panthers-to-3-2-victory-in-st-louis] Anthony Duclair Foundation set to open synthetic ice rink at South Florida high school next week [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/anthony-duclair-foundation-set-to-open-synthetic-ice-rink-at-south-florida-high-school-next-week] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
