In a game where many players may have spent more time with their gloves off than on, the Carolina Hurricanes fought their way to a win. The Canes topped the Florida Panthers 3-2 in overtime at PNC Arena Saturday night.
Defenseman Noah Hanifin scored the game-winning goal in the dying seconds of overtime For the Canes (11-9-4). Forwards Jeff Skinner and Elias Lindholm also scored for Carolina, and goalie Cam Ward turned aside 37 of 39 Panthers (10-13-3) shots.
The Canes are known throughout the league for playing a clean game, coming into this game as the least-penalized team in the league. That was not the case against Florida, as both teams combined for 46 penalty minutes (20 for Carolina), with two official fights in the game.
“I thought it was a competitive game,” head coach Bill Peters said. “I thought both teams played very hard. I thought there was a lot of passion in the game and that makes for a better hockey game for everybody involved.”
In sudden-death overtime, with the five-minute period winding down, Hanifin took a pass from Lindholm, took a shot on Reimer and swept in his own rebound on the backhand with two seconds to go for the second overtime winner of his young career.
“It was obviously a real hard-fought game,” Hanifin said. “Obviously last night [5-1 loss to the New York Rangers] was tough, and you want to rebound and show some energy and character today. I think we did that.”
It appeared Carolina would get this one done in regulation, but just seconds after pulling Reimer for an extra skater with just over two minutes to play, Florida tied the game at two, as forward Aleksander Barkov snapped home the rebound of a point shot from defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
Carolina took a 2-1 lead about eight minutes into the third; after a failed clearing attempt from the Panthers on a Canes power play, forward Derek Ryan fed Skinner up down low, and he out-waited Reimer and went top shelf to make it 2-1. Both regulation goals for Carolina came on the man advantage against the Panthers, an area of its game the team has struggled with this season.
“You just try to stick with it,” Skinner said. “It’s a long season. Even when it’s not working out for you, I think even the second goal, my goal was kind of a broken play. It’s not always how you draw it up, but you stick with it, keep working and keep battling. Sooner or later you get a bounce and you’re able to capitalize on it. Good job by the PP for sure.”
Things started to get chippy with 35 seconds left in the first period; Canes forward Brock McGinn and Panthers forward Jared McCann dropped the gloves, with McGinn the clear winner. The fight was Carolina’s first major penalty of the season.
Tempers flared twice in the second, with two skirmishes between all skaters on the ice. Panthers defenseman Mark Pysyk took a shot at Skinner, and Canes forward Joakim Nordstrom responded in kind with a big hit on Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck, both resulting in fisticuffs.
The rough stuff was not done there, as Canes defenseman Noah Hanifin and Panthers forward Derek MacKenzie threw down with 5:42 to play in the second, with another win for the Carolina side.
“They weren’t staged fights, it didn’t look like,” Peters said. “It looked like guys competing. That’s what happens sometimes when you’re pushing and shoving, and trying to gain every inch possible.”
Carolina had plenty of grade-A chances throughout the first period and into the early part of the second, but could only solve Reimer once, as the Florida netminder made 10-bell stop after 10-bell stop. Ward, for his part, settled in to the game to stymie a swarm of chances for the Panthers in period two.
“The first period was a little bit jittery,” Ward said. “You want to feel the puck. In the second period I got some action, made some big saves and got the confidence going.”
Florida tied the game at one less than five minutes into the third period on a goal from forward Nick Bjugstad.
Carolina will hit the road for six straight after this one, starting with a game Tuesday night against the Vancouver Canucks.
