| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) -- The Florida Panthers were desperate for their first win, and they knew just who could help them get it.
|  | | Pavel Bure scored the game-winner in the second, and then added an empty-netter to give the Panthers some insurance. |
Pavel Bure scored two goals as the Panthers, the NHL's last winless team this season, beat the Ottawa Senators -- one of the
league's final two unbeaten teams -- 3-1 on Saturday night.
The Panthers entered 0-3-3-2, the worst start in franchise
history, and snapped Ottawa's nine-game unbeaten streak (6-0-3).
The Senators fell two short of the tying the team record 11-game
stretch without a loss (8-0-3) set two seasons ago.
Mike Sillinger put the Panthers ahead 1-0 at 10:30 of the first period. Robert Svehla fired a shot toward the net, and Sillinger
followed with a blast from the slot that got past rookie goalie
Jani Hurme.
Bure scored his fourth goal of the season on a short-handed breakaway at 7:53 of the second period. He scored the Panthers' first short-handed goal this season by squeezing the puck just inside the left post.
"Sometimes the puck goes in and sometimes it doesn't," said Bure, who leads the Panthers with five goals. Lately, they haven't been going in. They've been hitting the post or crossbar, or just missing. Tonight they went in."
Bure sealed the victory with an empty-net goal in the game's final seconds.
Ottawa pulled within 2-1 on Wade Redden's goal with 3:34 left in
the second period, but the Senators were unable to draw even.
The Senators, playing their third game in four nights, missed
numerous scoring chances. None as a big as a pair of 5-on-3
power-play opportunities in the second and third periods.
"We didn't generate as much as we should have, and it hurt," Ottawa coach Jacques Martin said. "On the 5-on-3's, I don't think we got any shots. We weren't setting up or being patient."
The Senators, who beat Tampa Bay 6-0 on Friday, fell flat
against Florida.
"I don't think playing three games in four days made any
difference," Martin said. "They played well, and we didn't get to
the net enough or win as many battles."
Florida squandered a 3-1 lead Friday night at Nashville, allowing two goals in a 57-second span of the third period, and settled for a 3-3 tie.
This time, the Panthers' defense -- and goalie Trevor Kidd -- held
up. Kidd stopped 30 shots and the Panthers denied the Senators on
six power-play opportunities.
"It was an outstanding win against a really good hockey club,"
Florida coach Terry Murray said. "That's one of the premier teams
in the league.
Game notes
Ottawa hopes to have goalie Patrick Lalime (knee) back by
next weekend. "It's a matter of giving it time to heal," Martin
said. "If he were a forward or defenseman, he'd probably be back
sooner, but because he's a goalie, he needs to have the full range
of movement." ... Ottawa right wing Andreas Dackell, who leads his team with five goals, has played in 131 consecutive games, dating to Jan. 18, 1999. ... Florida is the second-most penalized team in
the NHL. ... Panthers center Viktor Kozlov (shoulder) expects to return to the lineup in seven to 10 days. ... Panthers rookie
defenseman Brad Ference (broken jaw) has been cleared to play and could be added to the roster any day.
| |
ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Ottawa Clubhouse
Florida Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 2
Boston 1
NY Islanders 2
Montreal 1
Detroit 4
Columbus 1
Florida 3
Ottawa 1
New Jersey 9
Pittsburgh 0
Buffalo 3
Chicago 1
St. Louis 4
Dallas 3
Colorado 4
Edmonton 2
Phoenix 3
Los Angeles 1
Atlanta 2
San Jose 2
|
