Panthers hang on, send Coyotes to fourth loss in row
Score 10 seconds apart in first period; Wedgewood makes 20 saves for Arizona
By
Alan Robinson
NHL.com Independent Correspondent
Hornqvist and Sam Reinhart each had a goal and an assist and Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves for the Panthers (18-4-4), who won their fourth in five games (4-0-1). They lead the NHL with 40 points.
"It wasn't the prettiest game, but we got the lead early and then we played a pretty solid game," Bennett said. "We weren't our sharpest, but we fought through and ended up getting the win, which is the most important part."
Phil Kessel scored a power-play goal and Scott Wedgewood made 20 saves for the Coyotes (5-19-2). Arizona lost its fourth in a row and sixth in seven games.
"They're tough to play against, they all have skill and they move the puck so quick, it's hard to get pressure on their `D,'" Coyotes forward Nick Schmaltz said. "They create a lot of rushes … and I don't think we generated enough from the start."
The Coyotes have scored an NHL-low 45 goals and have been limited to two goals or fewer in eight of their past nine games.
Hornqvist scored on a wrist shot from the left face-off circle for a 1-0 Florida lead at 9:05. Arizona won the ensuing face-off but turned the puck over in the neutral zone, and Bennett's open wrist shot from the high slot at 9:15 made it 2-0.
"I thought the guys did a great job to score two goals right away that give us the lead," Bobrovsky said. "It's a big win for us on the road, two points, and we're happy and we'll move on."
Kessel scored Arizona's first power-play goal in 10 games since Nov. 16 (0-for-18) at 16:53 of the first to cut it to 2-1. Reinhart answered on a Panthers power play less than three minutes later, scoring from above the circles to make it 3-1 at 19:35.
"That power-play goal was probably the biggest because it got us up by two, and `Bob' closed the door from there on it," Panthers coach Andrew Brunette said. "He was excellent. You can tell a lot of times when he's zoned in, and I thought he was."
Bobrovsky is 12-1-2 this season, and 9-2-1 in 12 career games against Arizona.
"He's light out. He gives us confidence and he gives us energy," Bennett said. "He's playing unbelievable right now."
The Panthers didn't score in the final two periods, but the Coyotes couldn't solve Bobrovsky or Florida's defense.
"Those two goals in 10 seconds and the [Reinhart] penalty-kill goal," were the difference," Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said. "When you play against a team like that, you know they will have a few chances, but we couldn't get ours."'
Florida reached 40 points in the fewest games (26) in its history, besting the previous low of 27 games in 2020-21 and 1996-97. The Panthers were 0-3-4 in their previous seven road games after starting the season 3-0-0.
"It's obviously been a little bit slow for us on the road, so that was an emphasis for us tonight, to get these two points and start feeling good about ourselves on the road again," defenseman Aaron Ekblad said.
Brunette said he "hadn't even thought" about the Panthers having the best record and the fewest losses in the NHL.
"We're going to enjoy this one, because we've got a tough one the next one (Sunday at the Colorado Avalanche)," Brunette said.
NOTES: The Panthers were without captain Aleksander Barkov, who sustained an upper-body injury during a 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. He has missed nine of the past 10 games to injury. … The two goals in 10 seconds were the fastest by the Panthers this season. … Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau had an assist on the Reinhart goal, and has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) during a five-game point streak. … Olli Juolevi, a defenseman, made his Panthers debut with one shot on goal in 10:17. He played 23 games for the Vancouver Canucks last season. … Schmaltz, a Coyotes forward who missed 18 games with an upper-body injury, played for the first time since Oct. 25. He had two shots on goal in 15:32. ... The Coyotes were 1-for-5 on the power play and are an NHL-low 12.5 percent (8-for-64) this season.
