Panthers score 7 in 1st in win against Canadiens
SUNRISE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers set a franchise record with seven goals in the first period in a 9-5 victory against the Montreal Canadiens at FLA Live Arena on Thursday.
Florida’s previous record for goals in a period was six against the Boston Bruins on April 5, 2000.
Carter Verhaeghe scored two first-period goals, Aaron Ekblad scored twice and Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and three assists for the Panthers (34-27-7), who set a season-high for goals in a game and extended their point streak to five games (4-0-1). Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves.
Mike Matheson and Anthony Richard each had a goal and an assist for the Canadiens (27-36-6), who lost for the eighth time in nine games (1-6-2).
Montreal goalie Sam Montembeault was pulled after allowing three goals on six shots in the first 6:04 and replaced Jake Allen, but Montembeault returned in the second period after Allen also was pulled.
Allen gave up six goals on 18 shots. Montembeault finished with 21 saves on 24 shots.
Matheson gave Montreal a 1-0 lead just 16 seconds into the game. Colin White and Verheghe then scored 34 seconds apart to start the Florida scoring barrage.
White tied it 1-1 at 2:43 before Verhaeghe gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead at 3:17.
Anthony Richard tied the score 2-2 at 5:20. After Gustav Forsling‘s goal gave Florida a 3-2 lead and chased Montembeault, Michael Pezzetta tied the score again, 3-3, at 8:18.
Ekblad put the Panthers ahead 4-3 at 9:09 before Ryan Lomberg made it 5-3 at 10:33.
Sam Reinhart extended it to 6-3 at 12:22 with a sharp-angle shot, and Verhaeghe scored again at 13:18 to make it 7-3.
Rafael Harvey-Pinard cut it to 7-4 at 2:26 of the second period before Ekblad made it 8-4 at 5:31 with a power-play goal.
Tkachuk pushed it to 9-4 at 7:33 with a shot from the right circle that went off the leg of a Canadiens defender and Allen was replaced in net by Montembeault.
Rem Pitlick scored on the power play at 5:47 of the third period for the 9-5 final.
