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 Thursday, October 28
Bure returns, scores in first period
 
ESPN.com news services

 SUNRISE, Fla. -- Pavel Bure returned to the Florida Panthers' lineup Wednesday night and wasted little time in scoring his first goal after a five-game absence.

Pavel Bure
Bure

Bure, who had been sidelined with a groin injury since Oct. 12, scored Florida's two goals in the Panthers' 6-3 victory over the New York Islanders.

"I guess it is 100 percent when you win 6-3," Bure said of his injury. "It was a great game for us. It's always important to score the first goal. Whether it was me of someone else, when you do that, it gives the whole team confidence."

Bure worked his way from behind the net and scored at 2:55 of the first period, his fourth goal of the season, to put the Panthers up 1-0. Bure, whom Florida acquired from Vancouver in a trade last January, had three goals and three assists in his first four games before the injury.

Bure scored his second goal, and the Panthers' fifth of the game, at 15:03 of the second period.

The superstar right wing helped the Panthers avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season. Bure has five goals and three assists in five games this season and Florida improved to 4-0-1 with him in the lineup.

Known as the "Russian Rocket," Bure sparkled with Florida last season, recording 13 goals and three assists in only 11 games after being acquired from Vancouver.

Left wing Ray Whitney also returned tonight for the Panthers and made an impact with a goal and two assists. He leads the team with 11 points.

"I had a feeling that we would get some scoring going," Florida coach Terry Murray said. "We haven't scored very well in the last couple of games and to have a healthy lineup with Pavel Bure and Ray Whitney back in the lineup, two guys who score goals, I was certainly hoping that things would fall into place for us and they did."

Florida (6-3-1) tops the Southeast Division with 14 points, three more than the Carolina Hurricanes.
 


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