Panthers' Marchessault scores winner in wild one vs. Sens
SUNRISE, Fla. -- Jonathan Marchessault scored the tie-breaking goal with 6:03 left in the third period to lead the Florida Panthers past the Ottawa Senators 6-5 on Tuesday night at the BB&T Center.
Marchessault took advantage of goalie Mike Condon, who tried to clear the puck behind his own net but failed, moving it just a couple of feet. Marchessault scored unassisted into an empty net for his 15th goal of the season.
Jason Demers added an empty-net with 35 seconds left to give Florida a season-high six goals. The Panthers rallied from a 4-2 second-period deficit and hung on after Ottawa's Derick Brassard scored with just 12.5 seconds left.
Florida (22-19-10) earned a key win over the Senators (26-16-6), one of the teams the Panthers are chasing in the Atlantic Division.
In the first game for either team after the All-Star break, Florida defenseman Michael Matheson and Ottawa center Ryan Dzingel each scored two goals.
Both goalies -- Condon and Florida's Roberto Luongo -- were under siege all night. Condon made his 16th consecutive start and tied a franchise record for goalies by making an appearance in 25 consecutive games.
With just 2:24 expired in the first period, Florida opened the scoring as Matheson chipped the puck in, chased it down and shot on goal. Condon blocked the shot, but Ottawa defenseman Chris Wideman accidentally kicked the puck in with his right skate.
Ottawa tied the score with 4:58 gone in the first. On a three-on-two rush, Dzingel received a stellar cross-ice pass from Kyle Turris and beat Luongo with a high shot at point-blank range.
Florida took a 2-1 lead just 24 seconds later. After an Ottawa turnover, Florida had its own three-on-two rush and Michael Sgarbossa got the puck to Derek MacKenzie, whose cross-ice pass left Mark Pysyk with a tap-in goal.
Ottawa tied the score 2-2 with 8:54 left in the first. After Bobby Ryan's shot from the left circle went wide, Dzingel scooped the rebound off the end boards and wrapped the puck into the net before Luongo could kick out his left leg.
The Senators capped a wild, five-goal first period with a score from Wideman, atoning for his earlier mistake. With just 31 seconds left in the period and the teams skating four-on-four, Wideman skated in after a pass from Erik Karlsson and wired a shot past Luongo.
Ottawa made it 4-2 with 2:19 expired in the second period. Luongo made a save, but it created a long rebound to Karlsson at the right circle. Karlsson's wrist shot beat Luongo, who was screened on the play.
Florida scored just 18 seconds later as Colton Sceviour got his first goal since Oct 30. Sceviour scored on a backhander after the puck bounced off the end boards.
Matheson's second goal, which came with 9:53 expired in the second period, tied the score 4-4. Sgarbossa won a faceoff and got the puck to Matheson, who unleashed a low, hard shot from the left circle.
NOTES: Panthers backup G James Reimer was supposed to start, but did not dress after his wife gave birth to his daughter. ... Panthers G Roberto Luongo made the start instead. ... Panthers C Vincent Trocheck had four points Sunday in his first All-Star Game. ... Florida waived D Dylan McIlrath and C Paul Thompson. ... The Panthers are eagerly awaiting the return of top-line forwards Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. Barkov (back) hasn't played since Dec. 28 but should be back in February. Huberdeau (ankle) has been hurt all season but should return in March. Both players skated with the Panthers on Monday while wearing non-contact jerseys. ... Senators D Erik Karlsson, 26, is coming off his fourth NHL All-Star Game. ... Ottawa's point percentage is its best since 2007, when the Senators made it to the Stanley Cup Final for the only time in franchise history.