Panthers 3, Rangers 0
SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers set a franchise record with their eighth straight victory, defeating the New York Rangers 3-0 on Saturday at the BB&T Center.
The surprising Panthers (22-12-4) lead the Atlantic Division with 48 points.
Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo made 39 saves to earn the shutout. He got the best of Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who made 15 saves.
Florida got three goals in less than 12 minutes, receiving scores from right winger Logan Shaw, center Vincent Trocheck and center Brandon Pirri.
The Rangers (21-14-4) had won seven straight games in their series against Florida, This is a different Rangers team, though, as they are 5-11-2 in their past 18 games.
Florida scored first, getting a goal from Shaw with just 25 seconds remaining in the opening period. Rangers right winger Emerson Etem made a poor clearing pass that was picked off by Panthers center Corbin Knight, who fed the puck to Shaw on the doorstep for his fourth goal of the season.
Florida made it 2-0 at 4:41 of the second period on Trocheck's 11th goal. The Rangers were caught in a mistimed line change and had to scramble. Panthers defenseman Alex Petrovic took a slap shot that was blocked by Lundqvist, but the puck bounced in off Trocheck's leg.
The Panthers made it 3-0 in the second period after a hooking penalty on Etem. On the power play, Pirri scored in the slot after a great cross-ice pass from right winger Reilly Smith. It was Pirri's eighth goal.
NOTES: Florida extended the contracts of general manager Dale Tallon and coach Gerard Gallant through 2019. Tallon, 65, has been with the team since 2010 after building the Chicago Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup champion. Only D Dimitry Kulikov remains of the players Tallon inherited on the Panthers' roster. ... Florida also appointed Tom Rowe, 59, associate general manager. Rowe had been serving as coach of the Panthers' AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates. ... Going strictly by calendar years, the Rangers led the NHL in regular season/playoff wins in 2014 (58) and 2015 (65). ... Rangers D Dan Girardi has been playing with a cracked kneecap. ... Rangers LW Kevin Hayes, who has been criticized by coach Alain Vigneault for a lack of effort, was a healthy scratch for the second straight game. ... C Nick Bjugstad, who led the Panthers with 24 goals last season, has been out since Nov. 30 because of migraine headaches, but is close to a return.