Atlanta Beats Panthers 4-3 In Overtime Battle
ATLANTA (CBS4) – In a nail-biting contest that went to overtime Atlanta stole a win over the Florida Panthers 4-3 Saturday.
Florida, which began the game with the NHL's third-best, penalty-killing unit, spent most of the second period on its heels.
The Panthers killed four penalties, including Jason Garrison's 4-minute high-sticking infraction, but they registered just two shots in the second -- both in the final 1:08.
Andrew Ladd netted his second goal of the game during that overtime contest, and Blake Wheeler also scored twice for the Atlanta Thrashers, it was a snap on a two-game skid.
Sergei Samsonov, Stephen Weiss and David Booth scored for the Panthers, who have dropped four straight and are winless in 17 of 22.
Florida came in ranked 28th in the NHL in scoring, and Atlanta had only seven goals in the previous five games. Then the teams combined for four third-period goals.
Ladd gave the Thrashers a 2-1 lead with 18:52 left in regulation before Wheeler added his second goal, and 14th this season, less than 5 minutes later.
Weiss' 18th goal came on the power play with 12:02 remaining. Booth added his 18th to make it 3-3 just 3 minutes later.
Dustin Byfuglien assisted on all four of Atlanta's goals, giving the All-Star defenseman 31 this season. On the winning goal, he passed from the right circle across the slot to Ladd, whose 25th goal was a tip-in to Tomas Vokoun's glove side.
On Ladd's first goal, the Atlanta captain passed from the red line and across the slot to a charging Tobias Enstrom. The puck bounced off Enstrom and caromed to the right side where Ladd had moved into position for a wraparound goal.
Bryan Little, who hit the right post when shooting at a nearly wide-open net with 1:20 left in regulation, assisted on Ladd's winner.
Atlanta went 2-2-1 on its five-game homestand despite scoring no goals in the first period and just one in the second.
Samsonov's 11th goal, a tip-in, gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead, 5:46 in. It was his first goal in three games since being traded from Carolina.
Wheeler made it 1-1 by tipping in a rebound 43 seconds into the second.
Chris Mason stopped 31 shots to improve to 9-10-3 for Atlanta. Vokoun made 32 saves.
Notes: Florida failed to earn its first three-game season sweep at Atlanta since the Thrashers joined the NHL for the 1999-2000 season.
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