RECAP: Panthers 4, Predators 1

NASHVILLE – Anthony Stolarz stopped 27 of 28 shots to help the Florida Panthers snap out of their four-game skid with a 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Monday.

Winning six straight games on the road, Florida now sits at 28-14-4 on the season.

“We were on a four-game skid, but at the same time we felt like we were playing well and the bounces just weren’t quite going our way,” said Stolarz, who improved his personal record to 7-4-2. “It definitely feels good to get this one tonight.”

Making the win even more impressive, the Panthers were able to pocket two big points on the road without both superstar captain Aleksander Barkov (lower body) and top-pair defenseman Gustav Forsling, who is expecting an addition to his family.

“We were missing two big pieces with Barkov and Forsling out, so we knew it was going to be a hard-grind game,” Florida forward Sam Bennett said. “Guys were stepping up and playing bigger roles and bigger minutes. That’s all you can ask from your guys.”

After a tough night against the Minnesota Wild the last time out, the Panthers got an early boost with a strong effort from their penalty kill in the first period. Closing things out at the end of the kill, Stolarz shut his five-hole to deny a goal for Denis Gurianov.

Returning to form on the penalty kill, the Panthers finished a perfect 5-for-5.

Despite neither team finding the back of the net in the opening 20 minutes, the Panthers carried the bulk of the play. Heading into the first intermission, they paced the Predators 25-8 in shot attempts, 13-4 in shots on goal and 9-5 in scoring chances at 5-on-5 play.

In the second period, the Panthers broke through on the power play when Sam Reinhart beat Juuse Saros from the slot after a big faceoff win from Bennett to make it 1-0 at 11:19. Setting a new career high, the goal was his team-leading 34^th of the season.

On a 10-game point streak, Reinhart has scored 11 goals in that span.

Unfortunately, Florida’s lead lasted less than a minute thanks to some opposing puck luck as Jeremy Lauzon evened the score for the Predators when he fired a shot that hit off a body in front and fluttered past Stolarz to make it 1-1 at 12:16.

At 18:10, Jonah Gadjovich dropped the gloves with Yakov Trenin after being boarded.

Suiting up in his 300^th NHL game, Carter Verhaeghe, who’d just exited the penalty box, put the Panthers back up when he flew into the offensive zone, cut into the high slot and ripped a shot past Saros make it 2-1 at 1:11 of the third period.

“We knew it was going to be a tough one,” said Verhaeghe, who ranks second on the Panthers with 24 goals. “They’re a good team. Coming in here on the road, we wanted it to be a grindy win, and that’s kind of what we got.”

Just before the midway point of the period, Stolarz committed a certified robbery when he laid out to his left to glove a would-be goal on a rebound attempt from Predators all-star forward and leading scorer Filip Forsberg.

Not done there, the towering 6-foot-6 goaltender added another clip to his highlight reel and showed off his glove again when he came up in the clutch with a one-on-one stop against Tommy Novak on the penalty kill at 13:04.

That one was just one of 10 high-danger saves for Stolarz.

“He was huge,” Bennett said. “He made some unbelievable saves.”

Following a faceoff win in the defensive zone, Brandon Montour lifted a shot all the way down the ice and into the empty net to make it 3-1 with 1:39 left on the clock. With 19 seconds left, Matthew Tkachuk added another empty-netter to lock down the 4-1 win.

Staring down adversity, the Panthers got it done again.

“You stand by the bench some nights and you get a feel that your players are right,” said Florida head coach Paul Maurice, who has officially tied Barry Trotz for the second-most games coached in NHL history with 1,812. “They kind of ran the bench tonight in some ways in terms of what was said and the support. This was a big game for us. The dads are here, but we’ve also lost a few in a row. We needed a win.”

THEY SAID IT

“It’s really special to share an experience like this. They’ve been a part of our lives and are an important reason why we got to where we are. To get to experience this with them was super special.” – Anthony Stolarz on the ‘Dads Trip’ to Nashville

“It was fun to watch him flash some leather tonight.” – Sam Bennett on Anthony Stolarz

“He made some awesome saves. There were a couple times where we left the guy alone in front, and he came up huge.” – Carter Verhaeghe on Anthony Stolarz

“I understand why we talk about his goals, but the defensive part of his game is so good.” – Paul Maurice on Sam Reinhart

CATS STATS

- Sam Reinhart’s 10-game point streak is tied for the longest streak of his career.

- Sam Bennett had seven hits and dished out a team-high three assists.

- Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe each tallied a goal and an assist.

- Brandon Montour and Niko Mikkola each finished with a +3 rating.

- Florida led 16-4 in shot attempts when Mackie Samoskevich was on the ice at 5-on-5.

- Steven Lorentz went 5-for-7 (71.4%) in the faceoff circle.

- Aaron Ekblad blocked four shots.

WHAT’S NEXT?

After a quick trip, the Cats are already coming home.

In their last game in Sunrise before the All-Star break, the Panthers will host the Arizona Coyotes at Amerant Bank Arena on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.

For tickets, click HERE.