EditorsNote: 1st graf, change fifth round to fourth round
Martin Necas' goal in the fourth round of a shootout led the Carolina Hurricanes to a 4-3 win over the host Florida Panthers on Saturday night in Sunrise, Fla.
Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves through overtime and had two more in the shootout before Necas beat him between his pads. It was Necas' first shootout attempt this season.
Carolina got big performances from a pair of former Panthers as James Reimer made 28 saves through overtime and three more in the shootout, and Vincent Trocheck had a goal in regulation. Trocheck also scored in the shootout.
All three Hurricanes goals in regulation came by deflections, including tips by Jake Bean and Warren Foegele. It was the first NHL goal for Bean, who was Carolina's first-round pick in 2016.
Brett Pesce added a pair of assists for the Hurricanes, who went 2-for-3 on their power play. Florida went 1-for-4.
Patric Hornqvist, Jonathan Huberdeau and Frank Vatrano scored for the Panthers.
Carolina opened the scoring with 2:22 left in the first, and it happened following a penalty on Florida defenseman Kevin Connauton for tripping Trocheck. Fittingly, Dougie Hamilton's shot was defected in by Trocheck.
There were no second-period goals, but Carolina had three short-handed breakaways during one Florida power play. Sebastian Aho hit the left post, Brock McGinn's shot was stopped by Bobrovsky's left pad, and Bobrovsky poke-checked the puck away from Necas.
Carolina made it 2-0 with 1:30 gone in the third. After Florida's MacKenzie Weegar was whistled for delay of game for firing the puck over the glass, Carolina's power play clicked again on Bean's tip of a Pesce shot.
Florida got on the board on a power-play goal with 11:47 left in the third. After Andrei Svechnikov got caught holding, Florida's Aleksander Barkov took advantage, shoveling a backhander toward the goal. The puck got behind Reimer, and Huberdeau shoved it the extra few inches for the goal.
Exactly two minutes later, Mason Marchment and Vatrano got behind Carolina's defense with speed. Marchment's excellent centering pass led to Vatrano's goal and a 2-2 score.
Carolina took a 3-2 lead with 5:55 left in the third on Foegele deflection of a Pesce shot.
The Panthers pulled Bobrovsky and tied the score 3-3 when Hornqvist batted the puck in out of the air with just 1:54 left in regulation. Weegar got the primary assist.
--Field Level Media
