Killorn, Ducks rally for OT win against Panthers

SUNRISE, Fla. --  Alex Killorn scored twice, including 48 seconds into overtime to help the Anaheim Ducks defeat the Florida Panthers 5-4 at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday.

Killorn took a pass from Cam Fowler and beat Anthony Stolarz for the winner. It was the third straight goal for the Ducks, who trailed 2-0 and 4-2.

Adam Henrique had a goal and an assist, and John Gibson made 29 saves for Anaheim (15-27-1), which had lost two straight including 5-1 at Tampa Bay on Saturday.

"We ended up on a 2-on-1 and Cam made a great play to find me,'' Killorn told Bally Sports West after the game. "I found a seam and scored. I don't think we were very happy with the way we played in Tampa especially once we got down in the game. To have that tonight was great."

Kilorn had not scored in his previous 12 games. He was on a line with center Leo Carlsson, who returned after missing 10 games with a knee injury.

"I didn't even know he was on a goal drought but he got two big ones," Anaheim coach Greg Cronin said of Kilorn. "I thought he skated well tonight and [Carlsson] probably energized him. He is a very dynamic player and distributes the puck very well. [Killorn] and Troy Terry benefited from that."

Sam Reinhart scored a goal in his seventh straight game, tying a team record for the Panthers (27-13-3), who have lost two straight following a nine-game winning streak. Sam Bennett scored twice, and Stolarz made 21 saves.

"It was more of an open game than we wanted, but it was the style of game they want to play,'' Reinhart said. "They did a better job dictating the play and how they wanted to play. We could have been a lot better, for sure. We're not going to win hockey games like that. We're not built for that, and we need to tighten up.''

Jakob Silfverberg scored to make it 4-3 at 14:58 of the second period with a backhand.

Troy Terry tied the game 4-4 at 3:45 with a backhand.

"It reminds me of earlier in the year when we had the belief going," Cronin said of the comeback. "They are obviously a very good team and are probably going to be a Stanley Cup contender. To come back on a team like that was impressive."

Bennett gave Florida a 1-0 lead at 8:29 of the first when he drove in and beat Gibson on a power play.

Reinhart made it 2-0 at 17:35 with a short-handed goal. 

He tied Pavel Bure (2000-01) with a goal in his seventh consecutive game, and set an NHL record with a special teams goal in seven consecutive games.

"We can't even keep track of them at this point,'' Bennett said of his linemate. "When they said it was his 32nd (goal this season), a couple of us looked around on the bench and said, 'Thirty-two already?' It is pretty impressive."

Killorn got Anaheim within 2-1 with four seconds left in the first period, driving in and scoring after the Panthers gave away the puck in the offensive zone.

Adam Henrique tied it 2-2 at 5:24 of the second with the Ducks second short-handed goal of the game.

Carter Verhaeghe scored for a 3-2 lead at 9:36 on the power play. Bennett's second of the game, a one-timer from Matthew Tkachuk, made it 4-2 at 12:49.

"We had a good first period and I thought we were a little arrogant with the puck in the second,'' Florida coach Paul Maurice said. "When you start getting beat 1-on-1, that's a tell for something else that is going on in your game. We were not happy with the way we played. I think we're going to leave this one right here."

NOTES: Killorn had his first two-goal game since March 7 last season when he was with the Lightning. … Carlsson had no shots on goal and was minus-1 in 20:05 in his return to the lineup … Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas, who played for the Panthers for the past three seasons (2020-23), had a game-high five hits and four blocked shots. … Reinhart is the first player since Newsy Lalonde in 1920 to open a calendar year with goals in seven consecutive games. Lalonde did so in eight straight games for the Canadiens. … The Panthers played without captain Aleksander Barkov after he left with 5:47 remaining in the third period. Maurice said it was a lower-body concern, but that Barkov is expected to play against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday. … Tkachuk extended his scoring streak to nine games (18 points; seven goals, 11 assists). … The Panthers lost for the first time this season when Bennett scores a point; they were 11-0-0.