High-scoring Florida Panthers top Calgary Flames to close perfect homestand
It doesn’t take much to get Florida Panthers interim coach Andrew Brunette excited about Patric Hornqvist and Ryan Lomberg. The wingers on the Panthers’ fourth line play with almost a reckless abandon and a high-octane energy that fires up the team on a regular basis.
“They remind me of my little brother,” Brunette said last week. “They’re just menaces out there. ... They’re the heartbeat right now. They’ve been bringing it every night.”
On Tuesday, they brought more than just intensity during their shifts on the ice.
They found their names on the score sheet.
Hornqvist scored two goals and Lomberg added one of his own to lead the Panthers to a 6-2 win over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.
“To play with [Hornqvist] is great,” Lomberg said. “It’s easy. He’s a guy that has contagious energy. He brings everybody on board. He’s always going. He’s predictable. Our line’s been playing well. He’s been a huge reason why.”
And with that, a perfect homestand is complete.
The Panthers (22-7-4) swept their four-game stretch at FLA Live Arena since returning from a nearly two-week break of games due to a COVID-19 outbreak that stretched into the NHL’s holiday break.
The Panthers are outscoring opponents 24-10 over this stretch, which has also included a 4-3 come-from-behind win over the New York Rangers, a 9-3 rout of the Tampa Bay Lightning and a 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
“Anybody that turns on a hockey game and watches the Florida Panthers play right now is going to be entertained,” Brunette said.
On Tuesday, the Panthers showed a little bit of everything.
They had success on special teams, scoring twice on the power play and killing off both penalties they committed.
Both power-play goals came in the first period. Hornqvist opened scoring about six minutes into regulation when he scooped up a puck in the crease and flicked it past Jacob Markstrom. Hornqvist added another goal in the third period for his first multi-goal game of the season.
“It feels good,” Hornqvist said. “I haven’t scored as many goals as I wanted this year so far, but you know what? It’s 2022, so let’s get better and get more goals.”
Joe Thornton scored Florida’s second goal with the man advantage with 1:59 left in the first period when he tipped in a Brandon Montour shot from the point to give Florida a 3-2 edge at the end of the first period.
They got contributions from all over the lineup. Five players scored goals, with Anthony Duclair scoring in the first period between the power play goals and Lucas Carlsson closing scoring with 6:56 left in the third period. Lomberg’s goal came with 16.7 seconds left in the second period, taking a feed from Eetu Loustarinen and firing a snap shot from the right circle for his third score of the season.
Seven others recorded at least one assist. Montour had three assists. Carter Verhaeghe had two.
“It always adds confidence when you can find the back of the net,” Lomberg said. “That’s something that we try to do every game is bring the energy, keep things simple. Tonight was one of the nights that the hard work paid off and we got some good bounces.”
And they got superb goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky, who recorded 47 saves. After giving up two goals in a three-minute stretch midway through the first period — a breakaway by Johnny Gaudreau and a wrist shot from Blake Coleman that bounced off Bobrovsky and into the net — Bobrovsky stopped the final 41 shots that came his way.
The 47 saves were the second-most in a single game of his NHL career. His single-game career high is 52 saves, set in a shootout win on Dec. 4, 2014, while with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The opponent? The Florida Panthers.
(Bobrovsky stopped all four attempts on the shootout that night, too.)
“Bob’s great,” Lomberg said. “He played how he can. We’ve got all the confidence in the world in Bob and in our goaltending, so it’s no surprise to us in that room when he makes big saves and does it time and time again.”
Calgary falls to 17-8-6.
This and that
▪ The Panthers were without two assistant coaches (Derek MacKenzie and Tuomo Ruutu) and two forwards (Mason Marchment and Sam Reinhart) on Tuesday due to the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols.
▪ With his secondary assist on Carlsson’s goal, Anton Lundell is on a four-game point streak. He has two goals and three assists in that stretch.
On the road again
The Panthers play their next two games on the road. They face the Dallas Stars on Thursday before closing the brief road trip against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
The Panthers are 4-4-4 in their 12 games away from FLA Live Arena this season compared to 18-3-0 at home.
This story was originally published January 4, 2022 at 9:38 PM.
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