Panthers point streak ends at 7 in loss to Flyers

PHILADELPHIA --The Florida Panthers had their seven-game point streak end in a 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday.

Matthew Tkachuk scored for a fifth straight game, and Brandon Montour and Sam Reinhart each had a goal and an assist for the Panthers (36-28-7), who were 6-0-1 in their previous seven, including a 5-2 win at the Detroit Red Wings on Monday. Alex Lyon, in his first start since Jan. 28, made 18 saves.
Florida holds the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Panthers fell three points back of the first wild card after the New York Islanders won 7-2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
"They were playing quicker than us," Reinhart said. "It's tough. You're going to go through moments like that. We move on and get ready for the next one (against the Maple Leafs on Thursday). It's never easy losing at this time of the year, but when you've been on the run we have, it's almost good to lose and learn from it."

Travis Sanheim scored twice, and Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost each had a goal and an assist for the Flyers (26-32-12), who won for the second time in seven games (2-4-1). Carter Hart made 41 saves, including 15 in the third period.
"He's been there all year," Sanheim said. "Doesn't really surprise me anymore. He's been good all season. ... He was excellent tonight, big reason we won a little bit more comfortably."
Hart made 18 saves in the first period, when Florida outshot Philadelphia 19-10.
"Some of those saves were hard saves and they were quick-reaction saves," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. He was fantastic tonight. ... The best player on the ice was their goaltender and when that happens most nights, you're going to win the game. They played hard. We had a whole bunch of chances to score. We couldn't beat the guy."
The game turned in the final 3:06 of the second period when the Flyers scored three times.

Scott Laughton made it 3-2 at 16:54 after a breakout feed from Tony DeAngelo. Panthers forward Colin White dove to tip the puck, but Laughton was able to control it and slide it past Lyon.
Sanheim poked in a loose puck at 18:05 to make it 4-2, and Ivan Provorov cut through the crease to give Philadelphia a 5-2 lead at 18:55.
It was Sanheim's first two-goal game of the season. The defenseman had one goal in his previous 33 games.
"That's a big part of my game, contributing and joining the offense," Sanheim said. "That's something in the past when I've been getting goals like I got tonight, right around the net. That's something I want to continue and hopefully the last stretch here I can put together some good games."

Tkachuk gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead at 1:15 of the first period when he redirected Carter Verhaeghe's centering pass.
Farabee tied it 1-1 at 4:43, tipping Noah Cates' shot past Lyon. It was Farabee's third straight game with a goal after he went 26 games without one.
Sanheim scored from the right side to put Philadelphia ahead 2-1 at 8:42 of the second period.
Montour tied it 2-2 at 14:17 after he pinched down from the right point and took a pass from Aleksander Barkov.
After the Flyers' late outburst in the second, Reinhart made it 5-3 on a power play at 13:49 of the third period with Lyon pulled for an extra attacker, but Frost scored an empty-net goal at 17:59 for the 6-3 final.
It was the Panthers' fourth game in six nights.
"I think [we were] just caught a little sleepy," Montour said. "I think at this point of the year, no matter how tired you are, you figure it out and you try to make the right plays. They bear down on some chances there and we couldn't get back."
NOTES: The Panthers were without forwards Anthony Duclair (illness) and Sam Bennett (undisclosed). Maurice said Bennett is day to day. ... Tkachuk has six goals during his five-game streak, and 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in a six-game point streak. ... Reinhart extended his point streak to six games (nine points; six goals, three assists). ... Barkov had two assists. ... Tortorella is one win from becoming the 12th NHL coach with 700 wins. He is 699-573-144 with 37 ties in 21 seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets and the Flyers. ... Philadelphia defenseman Egor Zamula, who was recalled from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League, had two assists in his first NHL game since Dec. 1.