RECAP: Reinhart's OT winner sends Panthers into break full of confidence

SUNRISE, Fla. --The Florida Panthers are very much alive.
After Aleksander Barkov scored the game-tying goal with only three seconds left in the third period, Sam Reinhart buried the game-winning goal just 17 seconds into overtime to lift the Panthers to a thrilling 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins at FLA Live Arena on Saturday.
Improving to 24-22-6, Florida currently sits just three points out of a playoff spot.
"We get to keep it," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of pocketing two points in epic fashion in the final game before the All-Star break. "These guys have earned it. Why it was important, how it happened, is that they get to keep that for the break. They're excited."

Even after gaining some momentum by killing off a four-minute power play, the Panthers still fell behind early when Craig Smith intercepted a pass in Florida's zone before ripping a quick shot past Alex Lyon from the slot to put the Bruins on top 1-0 at 16:50 of the first period.
Getting the game all squared up in the second period, Brandon Montour deftly tipped a shot from Barkov in stride through Jeremy Swayman's five-hole to make it 1-1 at 8:55.

Having already set the franchise record for the longest point streak by a defenseman last game, Montour successfully extended his streak to nine games with that goal. With the primary assist, Barkov, a 2023 NHL All-Star, pushed his own career-long point streak to 11 contests.
With the Panthers suffering from some bad luck, the Bruins went up 2-1 when Charlie Coyle's cross-ice pass was accidentally knocked out of the air past Lyon by Sam Bennett in the slot at 17:55. Since he was the last player to touch the puck for Boston, Coyle was given credit for the goal.
Making up for his earlier miscue in a big way, Bennett returned with a vengeance in the third period and pulled the Panthers even when he carried the puck into the offensive zone and ripped a wrist shot past Swayman from near the top of the right circle to make it 2-2 at 8:29.
"It shows that we're a good team," Bennett said of Florida's strong pushback against the NHL-leading Bruins. "Obviously our record isn't exactly where we want it to be, but we've got a lot of faith in this group that we can contend with anyone in this league. We showed that tonight."
With 48.6 seconds left, David Pastrnak came off the bench and threaded a shot through traffic from the high slot to put the Bruins on top 3-2. But with the Panthers pulling their goaltender for the extra attacker, Barkov then came up with the tying goal to make it 3-3 with just three seconds left.
Feeding off that momentum, Barkov, after winning the opening draw in the extra frame, set up Reinhart for a beautiful one-timer from the left circle for the game-winning goal just 17 seconds into overtime.
With the Bruins off to an historic 38-6-5 start, the Panthers are the only team in the NHL to hand them multiple losses this season after previously earning a 5-2 win back on Nov. 23 in Sunrise.
"It's huge," said Reinhart, who raised both of his hands into the sky after his shot sailed by Swayman. "I think that's a really important game just to show the confidence in this group. That was a massive win against a really good team. The boys are definitely happy with that one."

Making his fifth straight appearance, Lyon stopped 36 of 39 shots.
"He was huge," Bennett said of Lyon, who's posted a solid 3-2-1 record since being called up from the AHL to fill in for Florida's injured goaltenders. "Coming in against the top team in the league and putting on a great performance like that is impressive. He was a huge part of our win tonight."

CATS QUOTES

"It was electric on the bench. I want to see that footage of our bench. We went pretty nuts. You could really see how much our team wanted to win tonight. Those are fun games to be a part of." - Sam Bennett on Aleksander Barkov's game-tying goal
"I've never felt like I haven't had the talent to play here, it's just been that hurdle mentally. I feel like I came closer to bridging that gap in these last six games. For my personal growth, it was awesome." - Alex Lyon on finding success with the Panthers
"We had a good entry. Barky made a nice play over. Put it to the net, good things happen." - Sam Reinhart on his game-winning goal

CATS NOTES

• Aleksander Barkov's 11-game point streak is tied for the fifth-longest in franchise history.
  - Aleksander Barkov's game-tying goal is tied for the second-latest in Panthers history.
  - Aleksander Barkov posted three points (one goal, two assists) to reach 600 in his career.
  - Aleksander Barkov is the ninth Finnish-born player to record 600 points in the NHL.
  - The Panthers went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
  - Aleksander Barkov won 65% of his faceoffs.
  - Aaron Ekblad blocked a team-high three shots on goal.
  - Alex Lyon went 19-for-20 on high-danger shots, per NaturalStatTrick.com.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Panthers (24-22-6) will have a week to recharge their batteries during the All-Star break before continuing their second-half push with a matchup against the cross-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning (32-15-1) at FLA Live Arena on Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. ET.
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