The chances of the Florida Panthers facing the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs before the Eastern Conference Finals are virtually nonexistent. This was about the only positive takeaway for the Panthers from Sunday’s game at home. Montreal scored two goals in the third period to defeat Florida 4-2, ending a five-game losing streak and reclaiming the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. The loss dropped the Panthers to third place in the Atlantic Division, keeping them one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs as a crucial week for the defending champions begins. Florida never led against a Canadiens team that has now beaten them all three times this season by a combined margin of eight goals. Paul Maurice’s team will aim to avoid a season sweep when they play Montreal again on Tuesday during their final multi-game road trip of the year. The next four games will play a pivotal role in determining the Atlantic Division champions, as the top three teams—Toronto, Tampa Bay, and Florida—are separated by just one point, and it will all be settled on the ice. The Panthers will face the Maple Leafs twice in the next week and wrap up the regular season in Tampa on April 15.
The outcome of winning the division versus not is significant. If the Panthers secure the top spot, they’ll likely face the fourth-place Ottawa Senators in the first round. If not, they’ll likely play the Maple Leafs or Lightning in Round 1. Florida’s next four opponents—Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and Detroit—are all either in the playoff race or vying for a Wild Card spot, meaning most of the Panthers’ remaining games will feel like playoff matchups. Sunday’s back-and-forth game against Montreal certainly did. After responding to Montreal’s first and second-period goals, Florida went scoreless in the third and lost for the fourth time in their last seven games. Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, who assisted on both Florida goals Sunday, acknowledged Montreal’s better play, saying, “No excuses. They’ve played better than us all three games… Their lives are on the line. They want to make the playoffs, obviously. We’re trying to do the same thing.”
Montreal’s offense largely came from Lane Hutson (three assists) and Nick Suzuki (two assists and the game-winning goal). The first period was intense, with four high-sticking penalties between the teams, including a late cross-check to A.J. Greer’s jaw by Kaiden Guhle. Montreal capitalized on one of their power-play opportunities, with Patrik Laine scoring his 19th goal of the season—a slap shot that got past Sergei Bobrovsky. However, Florida responded quickly with Sam Reinhart scoring his team-leading 36th goal, taking advantage of a Canadiens’ defensive mistake. After the first period, the Panthers’ defense improved, limiting Montreal to just four shots in the second period. But one of those shots led to another power-play goal for Montreal. Juraj Slafkovsky’s shot deflected off Seth Jones’ skate and past Bobrovsky. Jones redeemed himself with a powerful slap shot that beat Montreal’s goalie Sam Montembeault to tie the game at 2-2.
Suzuki put Montreal ahead for good in the third period, scoring on a perfect cross-ice pass from Hutson after a scramble for the puck in Florida’s defensive zone. Suzuki’s 23rd goal of the season proved to be the game-winner. Barkov took responsibility for the missed assignment on the goal, saying, “It’s 2-2 going into the third, and then obviously my guy scores the third goal. I was supposed to be there, so I am definitely not happy about that.” Montreal held Florida scoreless in the third, and Brendan Gallagher sealed the victory with an empty-net goal in the final two minutes of regulation. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said, “We let a lot of offense die in that game… It was even, so it’s going to be decided by one break. We had a little bit of a missed assignment on the game-winner.”
Leave a Reply