Gustav Forsling scored with five seconds left in overtime as the Florida Panthers opened the season with a 1-0 win over the reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday in Raleigh, N.C.
Forsling’s goal marked the only overtime shot for the Panthers. Florida goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 15 shots, including one in the extra session.
After Carolina raised its Stanley Cup championship banner in a pregame ceremony, the teams traded missed scoring chances throughout a scoreless regulation.
This marked only the third time in more than 80 years that the two previous Stanley Cup champions met to open a season. This was Florida’s only scheduled trip to Raleigh.
Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi, who started the final three games of the Stanley Cup Final for Carolina, drew the starting assignment and made 19 saves.
Forsling, a defenseman, had only two goals in 80 games last season for Florida. Carter Verhaeghe assisted on the winner.
Markstrom played his first game for the Panthers since the 2013-14 season, having spent time with Vancouver, Calgary and New Jersey since then. He recorded one shutout in 43 starts for the Devils last season.
Both teams will be working on their power plays as they combined to go 0-for-13.
The Panthers had a power-play opportunity with less than seven minutes to play and fell to 0-for-7 with the extra skater when they couldn’t find the net.
Forward Brady Tkachuk, Florida’s major offseason acquisition, had one shot on goal and two penalty minutes in his Panthers debut.
Florida ended regulation with a 19-14 edge in shots.
Eleven players were charged with penalties, plus Carolina had an infraction for too many men on the ice.
The teams combined to go 0-for-11 on power plays through two periods, with Carolina failing to convert on five chances before that total reached six.
The Hurricanes had only three first-period shots on goal, a stark contrast to last season, when they built a reputation for high shot volume.
The season’s first fight came between Carolina’s Nicolas Deslauriers and Florida’s Boko Imama late in the first period.
–Field Level Media
