Senators 3, Panthers 2
Kyle Turris and Mika Zibanejad scored 19 seconds apart early in the first period to spark host Ottawa and spoil the head coaching debut of Peter Horachek.
Robin Lehner made 26 saves for his third consecutive victory and Clarke MacArthur scored a power-play tally as the Senators handed reeling Florida its eighth straight defeat (0-4-4). The Panthers were playing one day after head coach Kevin Dineen was fired and replaced by Horachek.
Nick Bjugstad and Marcel Goc scored for the Panthers, who dropped their seventh game in a row in Ottawa. Tim Thomas, in net for the first time since Oct. 22, recovered from the wobbly start to turn aside 29 shots.
The Senators pounced on Florida when Turris, who also assisted on MacArthur's tally, capitalized on a turnover and beat Thomas short side from a sharp angle at the bottom of the right faceoff circle just 1:45 into the contest. Zibanejad took advantage of another turnover in the Panthers' end and sent a shot into the crease that banked off defenseman Erik Gudbranson and into an unprotected net.
Bjugstad trimmed the deficit two minutes later, driving the net from the left corner and stuffing the puck past Lehner, and it stayed that way until MacArthur buried a shot on a 5-on-3 at 5:52 of the second period. Goc cut the deficit to 3-2 with a slap shot midway through the third but Florida could not get the equalizer despite a pair of power plays in the final seven minutes.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Turris has three goals and seven assists during a seven-game points streak. ... The Panthers were without F Jesse Winchester, who received a three-game suspension Friday for elbowing Boston's Chris Kelly in the head on Thursday. ... Florida went 0-for-5 on the power play to drop to a league-worst 5-for-59.