Panik leads Blackhawks past Panthers in shootout
CHICAGO -- Right winger Richard Panik scored once in regulation and scored again in the shootout round to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to a 2-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.
Blackhawks left winger Artemi Panarin also scored during the shootout round. Chicago (15-6-3) improved to 9-1-2 on home ice.
Right winger Jaromir Jagr scored in regulation for the Panthers. Florida (11-10-2) salvaged a point on the road in the coaching debut of Tom Rowe, who replaced Gerard Gallant two days earlier.
Goaltender Corey Crawford turned aside 38 of 39 shots in regulation and overtime. Crawford stymied Panthers centers Vincent Trocheck and Aleksander Barkov during the shootout round.
Goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped 32 of 33 shots in regulation and overtime.
Panik scored on a short breakaway to give Chicago a 1-0 lead with 2:50 to play in the first period. He raced in from the blue line and swept a backhand shot under Luongo's glove for his seventh goal.
The play marked Panik's first goal since Oct. 22 -- a span of 18 games. The 25-year-old Slovakian notched six goals in his first six games of the season before falling into a lengthy slump.
The Panthers evened the score at 1 on Jagr's power-play goal in the first minute of the third period. Left winger Jonathan Marchessault swept the puck toward the crease, and Jagr quickly chipped a shot past Crawford for his fourth goal of the season and the 753rd goal of his career.
The only players in NHL history who have scored more goals than Jagr are Wayne Gretzky (894) and Gordie Howe (801). Jagr also notched his 1,880th career point on the goal, which drew him within seven of matching Mark Messier for second all-time.
Crawford preserved the tie with a highlight-reel save with 13:45 remaining in the third period. After he fell down and lost his stick, he spotted a slap shot from Panthers center Derek MacKenzie. Crawford used his glove to deflect the shot off the post and smothered the puck for a whistle.
NOTES: Florida Panthers interim coach Tom Rowe made his debut behind the bench two days after the team named him to replace Gerard Gallant, who was fired. Rowe, 60, was a head coach in the AHL and in Russia's KHL before he joined the Panthers' front office earlier this year. ... Blackhawks C Jonathan Toews missed his third consecutive game because of an upper-body injury. Toews, 28, has four goals and eight assists in 21 games this season. ... Panthers D Alex Petrovic missed his eighth straight game because of a lower-body injury. ... Blackhawks RW Jordin Tootoo returned after a one-game absence because of a lower-body injury. ... Panthers RW Jaromir Jagr played his 1,652nd career game, which tied him for No. 4 all-time with former Pittsburgh Penguins teammate Mark Recchi. ... Blackhawks C Andrew Desjardins was a healthy scratch.