Thrashers 4, Panthers 3 (OT)
Captain Andrew Ladd scored his second goal of the game just 25 seconds into overtime and Dustin Byfuglien notched four assists to lift the host Atlanta Thrashers to a 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Saturday.
Florida’s Stephen Weiss and David Booth tallied three minutes apart in the third period to level the contest at 3-3 after Blake Wheeler’s second goal of the game gave Atlanta a two-goal lead 6:30 into the session.
Chris Mason made 31 saves for Atlanta (27-28-11), which won for the second time in nine games.
Ladd’s power-play goal 68 seconds into the third period snapped a 1-1 tie.
Tomas Vokoun made 32 saves for the Panthers (26-31-8), who have lost four straight. Vokoun had 18 stops in the second period, when the Thrashers went 0-for-4 on the power play.
Sergei Samsonov scored his first goal as a member of the Panthers in the first period on an assist by Niclas Bergfors, who was playing against his former team for the first time.
Wheeler tied the game at 1-1 just 43 seconds into the second period.