Panthers 2-1 Blues (20 Dec 2024) Match Summary

SUNRISE, Fla. — — Aleksander Barkov scored a power play goal with 18 seconds left in overtime to give the Florida Panthers a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues Friday Night.

Oskar Sundqvist got his third goal of the season for St. Louis when he came on midway through the first period. Uvis Balinskis got his first of the season for Florida, with Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk assisting midway through the second.

It remained that way until the 65th minute, when Barkov finished it off with his 10th goal of the season.

Joel Hofer stopped 25 shots for the Blues. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 26 shots for Florida.

Takeaways

Blues: Defenseman Philip Broberg played Friday, a night after missing the Tampa Bay game with an illness. Blues coach Jim Montgomery kept center Alexandre Tesier in the lineup after a strong game against the Lightning. “That was the best game I’ve seen him play and I want him to continue to build on that,” Montgomery said. Tesier rewarded him with an assist.

Panthers: In October, Florida distributed Stanley Cup rings to players and coaches. On Thursday, many other team members received their rings. And on Friday, the Panthers began distributing them for 158 season ticket holders which has been involved for 30 years. The team calls them Legacy members. “Part of our heritage,” Panthers president Matthew Caldwell said.

Key moment

Barkov was fouled by Brayden Schenn with 42.3 seconds left in overtime, giving Florida a power play that led to the game-winner.

Key state

Montgomery – the former coach in Boston and Dallas – is now one of 37 coaches who have led three different franchises against Florida. Also on that list: Panthers coach Paul Maurice.

Next

The Blues wrap up a three-game road trip Monday in Detroit. The Panthers have a back-to-back with Tampa Bay starting in Tampa on Sunday and at home again on Monday.

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