Panthers Shut Out Flyers, 5-0
PHILADELPHIA (CBS4) - The Florida Panthers must have caught the Philadelphia Flyer dreaming about the coming holiday break. Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun earned his fourth shutout of the season and Evgeny Dadonov had a goal and an assist to lead Florida to an easy 5-0 win over the Flyers on Monday night.
Bill Thomas, Shawn Matthias, Mike Santorelli and Dmitry Kulikov also scored for the Panthers, who won for the fifth time in seven games and stopped the NHL's top team.
The Flyers lost in regulation for the first time since being shut out by Boston goalie Tim Thomas on Dec. 1, a rare hiccup during a month in which they had secured 15 of a possible 18 points through their previous nine games, streaking to a league-leading 22 wins and 49 points. Philadelphia entered having won seven of eight.
Vokoun's fourth shutout tied him with Carey Price for third in the league, one behind Thomas and the New York Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist. It was the 42nd shutout of Vokoun's career, and his first against the Flyers in 17 starts.
Vokoun stopped 26 shots. Philadelphia had only 16 shots on goal through the first two periods.
Philadelphia's next game is Dec. 28 at Vancouver, marking the Flyers' longest break of the season.
In the previous meeting with Florida this season, the Flyers cruised to a 5-2 win on Nov. 13. Mike Richards and Claude Giroux each scored twice and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 34 shots.
Bobrovsky, a rookie, wasn't anywhere near as effective Monday in just his second start in six games.
The Panthers scored twice in the final 2:33 of the opening period. Thomas scored first at 17:27, when his shot from below the right faceoff circle deflected off the left knee of Oskars Bartulis and over Bobrovsky's shoulder.
Less than 2 minutes later, Dadonov scored on a breakaway, beating Bobrovsky to the left side.
Matthias made it 3-0 in the second period. Marty Reasoner's shot hit the post and bounced to Matthias, who easily flipped it in the net. Bobrovsky's night ended when Sean O'Donnell slipped collecting the puck in his own zone and Steve Bernier made a cross-ice pass to Santorelli, who fired a one-timer past Bobrovsky.
Bobrovsky stopped 18 of 22 shots. Kulikov scored the final goal against Brian Boucher with 8:25 left.
The Flyers appeared lethargic in their final game before the break. Philadelphia was coming off wins against tough conference opponents in the Bruins, Penguins, Canadiens and Rangers.
Florida was coming off a 6-2 win over Buffalo on Friday. The Panthers also blanked the Capitals in Washington 3-0 on Dec. 9. They play in Pittsburgh on Wednesday and in Buffalo on Thursday before the holiday.
