New addition Tarasenko has big game (2 goals, assist) in Panthers’ victory

After sustaining a rare loss on Thursday night, the Panthers bounced back Saturday with the help of one of their newest players.

Vladimir Tarasenko, whom the Panthers acquired in a trade with Ottawa on Wednesday, scored two goals and assisted on another to help Florida beat the visiting Calgary Flames 5-1.

Florida, which lost by a goal to the Flyers on Thursday, has won 17 of its past 20 games and remain atop the NHL standings.

Anthony Stolarz got the win for the Panthers (44-17-4) with 34 saves.

“It is nice to join a team who wins a lot of games,’’ said Tarasenko, who won the Stanley Cup in 2019 with the St. Louis Blues. “We had some successful years in St. Louis, I know how it is. There is a reason for playing hockey. The goal, as high as possible, is to win the Cup. It’s nice to join a group where it seems like everybody is really nice.”

One damper on Saturday’s fun was the potential loss of top defenseman Aaron Ekblad as well as forward Evan Rodrigues.

Ekblad was celebrated in the first period for passing former teammate Jonathan Huberdeau for second (672) on the franchise’s all-time list for most games.

Near the end of the first, however, Ekblad was being helped down the tunnel after an inadvertent knee-on-knee collision with Tarasenko.

Ekblad has had surgery on his left knee in the past.

Rodrigues appeared to be struck in his left ankle by a shot late in the second period.

Neither player returned to the game.

Coach Paul Maurice said both would be evaluated on Sunday and the team would know more about the injuries then.

After being pressed on Ekblad a bit, he said things may not be too serious.

“He’s going to be OK,” Maurice said. “I don’t know when he is coming back, it could be practice Monday or maybe a little longer.”

The Panthers ended up blowing this one open in the second period, scoring four goals — including the final three.

The first goal for Florida came when Huberdeau — now with the Flames after the Matthew Tkachuk blockbuster trade in 2022 — tried to clear the puck out of the corner deep in the defensive zone.

Only Tarasenko stuck his stick out, picked off the pass and beat goalie Jacob Markstrom (another former Panther) just 23 seconds into the second.

Calgary tied the score at 1 on a power-play goal from Yegor Sharangoivch at 5:51 of the second, but the Panthers scored the next three to go up 4-1 into the third.

Just 28 seconds after the Flames tied it, Sasha Barkov one-timed a pass from Sam Reinhart and the Panthers took the lead back for good.

“I think it was our second period. We talked a little bit in the room, ‘OK, it’s time to play a little harder.’ We got away from that a little bit. A couple of games we didn’t play that hard. It was time to start playing harder. I think that’s what we did starting in the second period. Got a good win.”

Sam Bennett got his 15th of the season by knocking down a shot from Gustav Forsling at 13:13 of the period for a 3-1 score; Tarasenko’s wrister from the right circle at 14:55 made it 4-1.

Florida all but iced it 4:33 into the third on a shorthanded goal from Kevin Stenlund following a steal and cross-ice pass from Eetu Luostarinen.

The Panthers now travel to Dallas for a much-anticipated game with the Stars on Tuesday. After that, Florida will visit Carolina on Thursday.

The Hurricanes’ 1-0 win over the Panthers on Feb. 22 is one of three losses Florida has sustained in the past 20.

After the game, newly acquired forward Kyle Okposo met the media and said he enjoyed watching his new teammates take apart the Flames.

Okposo had been the captain of the Buffalo Sabres before being traded to the Panthers on Friday morning.

“It was fun to watch,” he said. “I am going to a team where I am just going to start by being a good guy, being a guy in the room and trying to do whatever I can to help the team … be a spoke in the wheel.

“I am not trying to be a disrupter, why would you? You’re going to the best team in the league right now. I just want to put my head down and work hard and fit in and do whatever I can to help the team.”

This story was originally published March 9, 2024 at 9:04 PM.