Aleksander Barkov tied the game with 2.4 seconds remaining in regulation, then recorded his 600th career point by assisting on Sam Reinhart’s goal 17 seconds into overtime, as the host Florida Panthers stunned the Boston Bruins with a 4-3 victory on Saturday night in Sunrise, Fla.
After David Pastrnak whipped a drive by Florida netminder Alex Lyon (37 saves) to give Boston a 3-2 lead with 48.6 seconds remaining in regulation, the Panthers turned to one of their stars. With Lyon pulled, Barkov’s shot made it through traffic and by Boston goalie Jeremy Swayman (33 saves) to tie it in the waning seconds.
Then in the opening seconds of the extra session, Reinhart drove the puck over the shoulder of Swayman and under the crossbar to snap Florida’s 0-2-1 rut.
Barkov also assisted on Brandon Montour’s goal, and Sam Bennett scored for the Panthers, who are trying to move into playoff position in the highly competitive Eastern Conference.
Craig Smith and Charlie Coyle tallied unassisted goals for Boston, the NHL’s top team that suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season. The Bruins fell 3-2 at Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Though Lyon, making his fifth straight start, was stout while facing 15 first-period shots, he couldn’t save them all. With 3:10 remaining in the opening frame, Smith intercepted a Florida pass and buzzed the puck by Lyons from the slot.
Boston continued to press during the first half of the second period, but Florida leveled with 11:05 remaining in the middle frame. Off a three-on-two rush, a crossing Montour deflected the puck from Barkov’s shot through Swayman’s legs.
However, the Bruins regained the lead via a rather freakish goal with 2:05 remaining in the second. From the side board, Coyle flung the puck into the slot where Bennett blocked it with his stick but inadvertently deflected it past an unsuspecting Lyon.
Bennett, though, redeemed himself just before the halfway mark of the third period. He rushed the puck into the Boston zone and flexed a wrister past Swayman to tie the game with 11:31 remaining in regulation.
–Field Level Media
