Matthew Tkachuk, Gustav Forsling, and Ryan Lomberg each scored within a 59-second span during the first period of the Florida Panthers’ 5-1 road win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
It was the fastest three goals scored by the Panthers in their franchise history. Thursday’s 59-second outburst topped the previous mark of three goals in 62 seconds, set in a 6-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 18, 2009.
Florida won for only the second time in its past eight games (2-3-3), and the victory ended an 0-1-2 winless streak.
The Canucks lost their second consecutive game and also lost Thatcher Demko to injury. The goaltender left the game with an apparent lower-body issue late in the first period, after the third goal of Florida’s scoring surge.
Tkachuk had two assists to go with his goal, resulting in his fourth three-point game of the season.
Sam Bennett scored the Panthers’ other two goals, adding to his team’s lead in both the second and third periods.
Panthers goalie Spencer Knight stopped 32 of 33 shots for his seventh win in 13 games this season.
Dakota Joshua tallied Vancouver’s only goal.
The Panthers outshot the Canucks by an 18-8 margin in the opening frame, with Demko making several big stops to keep the game scoreless through 18 minutes. However, the offensive pressure finally paid off for the Panthers in record fashion.
A Luke Schenn giveaway resulted in Tkachuk’s 11th goal of the season, at 18:14 of the first period. Forsling fired through traffic for another score at the 18:49 mark, and Lomberg deposited a rebound just 24 seconds later.
Demko scrambled to stop two close-range shots before allowing Lomberg’s goal, and the goalie had to be helped off the ice following the play. Demko made 15 saves on 18 shots in 18:56 of action.
Spencer Martin stopped 12 of 14 shots in relief of Demko.
Panthers forward Anton Lundell also made an early exit for unknown reasons. Lundell missed most of the first period and played briefly at the start of the second frame before leaving the game for good.
–Field Level Media
