Jonathan Huberdeau, Ryan Lomberg lead Panthers over Canadiens

Jonathan Huberdeau and Ryan Lomberg each had two objectives and an help to steer the Florida Panthers previous the Montreal Canadiens 7-4 on Tuesday night time.

Sam Bennett and Aleksander Barkov every added a objective and an help for the Atlantic Division leaders, who’re tied with Carolina for the highest playoff seed within the Japanese Convention. Each groups have 96 factors, although Florida has a recreation in hand.

Mason Marchment additionally scored for the Panthers, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 20 saves.

It was a milestone night time for Huberdeau, who tied the NHL document for assists in a season by a left wing with 70. He bought his four-hundredth profession help and set a profession excessive together with his 93rd level.

“It’s fairly cool, particularly doing it towards Montreal,” Huberdeau stated. “I’ve a variety of household there, a variety of pals. It’s good to get milestones, but it surely’s nice to get the win.”

Lomberg had the primary three-point recreation of his profession.

“It was nice,” he stated. “On each my objectives, some fairly good gamers placing it the place I prefer it.”

Christian Dvorak, Joel Edmundson and Laurent Dauphin scored within the second interval for the Canadiens. Chris Wideman had a objective and an help, and Jake Allen stopped 39 photographs.

Huberdeau’s second objective, a backhander from in entrance, put the Panthers forward 5-4 at 1:19 of the third interval.

Marchment’s objective made it 6-4 with 5:17 left, and Barkov added an empty-netter with 2:34 to go.

After trailing 4-1, Montreal scored three objectives in 1:42 of the second interval — together with two 31 seconds aside — to tie it.

Edmundson’s shot from the slot went in with 3:36 left within the interval to shut to 4-2. Dauphin poked in a unfastened puck 31 seconds later to make it 4-3, and Dvorak scored from the left circle with 1:54 remaining.

“It was robust at 4-1, for certain,” Dauphin stated. “We proved we are able to come again, and a pair objectives and we have been proper again in it.”

Montreal had 5 photographs within the second.

“We took some punches and so they had us on the ropes however then we got here out swinging,” coach Martin St. Louis stated. “We have been in a great place at 4-4, we simply didn’t get it completed tonight.”

The Panthers stretched their result in 3-1 when Bennett poked in a rebound at 2:37 of the second.

Lomberg’s second objective put Florida forward 4-1. Lomberg took a move from Barkov within the slot and beat Allen at 7:57 of the second.

“Giving up three objectives is form of unacceptable,” interim Panthers coach Andrew Brunette stated. “However they rallied and confirmed management and got here out and did all the best issues within the third interval.”

Florida tied the rating 1-all on Huberdeau’s short-handed objective with 3:43 left within the first. Huberdeau took a feed from Eetu Luostarinen within the slot and backhanded the puck into the highest of the online.

The Panthers took a 2-1 lead on Lomberg’s shot from the highest of the faceoff circle with 2:03 left within the first.

Wideman gave the Canadiens a 1-0 benefit when his shot from the slot beat Bobrovsky at 2:32 of the primary.

NEW HOME

The sport was the primary at dwelling with the Panthers for Claude Giroux since final week’s commerce from Philadelphia. The final time Giroux performed a “dwelling” recreation anyplace however Philadelphia — excluding worldwide tournaments — was in November 2012, when he spent 9 video games taking part in in Germany with the Berlin Polar Bears throughout the NHL’s lockout-shortened season.

NOTES: Canadiens C Jake Evans slid into the boards arduous within the third and didn’t return. He’s day-to-day with an upper-body harm. … The Panthers provided a tribute to former middle Mike Hoffman on the video board within the second interval. Hoffman, now with Montreal, scored 65 objectives in two seasons with Florida from 2018-20. … The Panthers have 268 objectives, their most in a single season. … Just one staff in Panthers historical past had extra wins than this Florida membership does, that being the 2015-16 squad that had 47 victories. … The Canadiens are on tempo for the fourth-worst document in staff historical past, and the worst mark by any Montreal membership in additional than 80 years. Solely the 1935-36 (11-26-11), 1925-26 (11-24-1) and 1939-40 (10-33-5) groups have been worse.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: Go to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.

Panthers: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.