Panthers Snap Nine Game Skid And Surprise Ducks, 3-2
SUNRISE (CBSMiami/AP) — Brad Boyes scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, Tim Thomas stopped 32 shots and the Florida Panthers snapped a nine-game losing streak Tuesday night with a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.
Scottie Upshall and Shawn Matthias also scored for the Panthers, who earned their first win under new coach Peter Horachek and ended Anaheim's five-game winning streak. Upshall also had an assist to help Florida rally from two goals down.
The Panthers won for the first time since beating Minnesota 2-1 on Oct. 19. It was their first victory in three games under Horachek, who took over when Kevin Dineen was fired last Friday.
Hampus Lindholm and Andrew Cogliano scored for the Ducks (15-4-1), who lead the NHL with 31 points. Frederik Andersen made 22 saves but lost for the first time in seven career starts.
Florida took a 3-2 lead in the third on Boyes' goal. Andersen blocked a shot by Upshall, but the puck bounced off his leg pad and Boyes backhanded in the rebound at 4:29.
Trailing 2-0, the Panthers (4-11-4) scored two goals in 70 seconds during the second period to tie it.
Matthias backhanded the puck in from low in the right circle at 13:28 to make it 2-1. Upshall's shot from the point went off the stick of Anaheim's Mathieu Perreault and the shoulder pads of Lindholm before bouncing over Andersen at 14:38 to tie it.
Anaheim scored 40 seconds in. Cogliano took a pass from Daniel Winnik to the left of the net and wristed it past Thomas.
The Ducks went ahead 2-0 on Lindholm's goal. His shot from the top of the right circle rifled past Thomas on the glove side at 14:26 of the first.
NOTES: Anaheim C Ryan Getzlaf was scratched for the second consecutive game with an upper-body injury. ... Cogliano has a four-game goal streak, a career high. ... RW Corey Perry appeared in his 594th game, tying Ruslan Salei for fourth on Anaheim's franchise list. ... Florida honored Ducks veteran Teemu Selanne with a video tribute during a first-period timeout.
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