Florida Panthers start pivotal early-season homestand with shutout win vs. Hurricanes

The Florida Panthers survived a grueling highway journey by splitting 4 video games out west. Now, again in Sunrise, they’re prepared to start out stacking some wins in entrance of one of many NHL’s finest home-ice benefits.

Their win Wednesday was an excellent place to begin. The Panthers scored early on a rebound purpose by Nick Cousins and held onto the slender lead your entire method earlier than lastly breaking by way of on the facility play to beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-0.

The shutout for goaltender Spencer Knight was the third of his still-young NHL profession.

Florida (8-5-1) will now play 4 extra in a row at house, then go on the highway for one sport earlier than returning to Broward County for 2 extra. After enjoying 9 of 13 on the highway to start out the yr, the Panthers have a first-rate alternative to make up some floor in November.

A yr in the past, they boasted the most effective home-ice benefit within the NHL, successful 34 of 41 in South Florida, and so they began the 2022-23 NHL season off equally by successful 3 of 4 at house — and incomes factors in all 4 — to start out the yr.

Although it was a comparatively sparse crowd at FLA Live Arena due to Hurricane Nicole, the Panthers nonetheless stored up the pattern by beating a Stanley Cup hopeful in Florida.

Cousins scored his first purpose as a Panther with 10:19 left within the first interval and it was alone was sufficient to win, however Aleksander Barkov gave Florida one other increase with 9:40 remaining when he scored a power-play purpose off an exquisite feed by fellow ahead Carter Verhaeghe.

The purpose got here on the Panthers’ fourth energy play and brings them as much as 6 of 25 of their final seven video games — a drastic enchancment from their 2-for-23 begin to the yr.

The 24-percent mark Florida has posted in its final seven would’ve ranked within the high 10 of the league throughout the total 2021-22 NHL season.

Forward Sam Bennett added an empty-net purpose with six seconds remaining.

Knight preserved his shutout with one last stretch of heroics within the third interval. Carolina (8-4-1) obtained one last energy play with 6:18 left, received the opening faceoff and instantly peppered Knight with three pictures in 13 seconds. He denied the preliminary try, slid to his left to cease one other and wound up on his again to knock the ultimate shot away.

They had been the one pictures the Hurricanes obtained on their last energy play and the Panthers completed off their first shutout win of the yr.