Matthew Tkachuk scored two goals, including the game-winner with 11.8 seconds left, as the Florida Panthers edged the host St. Louis Blues 3-2 on Thursday night.
Mackie Samoskevich also scored for the Panthers, who have won seven of their last 10 games. Samoskevich left the game early in the second period with an upper-body injury. Spencer Knight made 20 saves for Florida to earn the victory.
Zack Bolduc and Oskar Sundqvist scored for the Blues, who fell to 1-5-1 in their last seven games overall and 11-14-2 at home this season. Joel Hofer made 31 saves.
Bolduc scored 3:31 into the game to put the Blues up 1-0. Ryan Suter fired a shot from the left point, and Bolduc went to his backhand to shovel the rebound in from the low slot.
The Panthers tied the game less than four minutes later when Sam Bennett moved in from the left circle and banked a shot off Samoskevich, who was screening Hofer.
Hofer kept the game tied by extending to his right to make a difficult skate save on A.J. Greer.
But Tkachuk put Florida up 2-1 with a power-play goal. He extended his goal-scoring streak to five games by deflecting in Aaron Ekblad’s shot from the right point.
Sundqvist tied the game with a power-play goal 5:18 into the second period. Robert Thomas took a shot from above the right circle, and Sundqvist deflected it past Knight.
Dylan Holloway had a clean break-in for the Blues in the final minute of the second period, but Knight slammed the door on him.
Evan Rodrigues had a partial breakaway early in the third period, but Hofer slid to his left to deny him.
As time wound down in the third period, Tkachuk deflected Sam Reinhart’s second-effort shot past Hofer to decide the game. It was Tkachuk’s 21st goal of the season.
–Field Level Media
