By Colby Guy, The Associated Press on February 20, 2024.
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) – Anton Lundell scored 1:36 into overtime and the Florida Panthers beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Tuesday night to jump over the idle Boston Bruins and into the top spot in the National Hockey League’s Eastern Conference. Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour also scored while Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves in the Panthers’ sixth straight victory. Thomas Chabot and Tim Stutzle scored for the Senators while Joonas Korpisalo stopped 31 shots in Ottawa’s third loss in its past four games. Ekblad missed Saturday’s 9-2 Panthers win against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a lower-body injury, then promptly scored 19 seconds into his return to the lineup. It was the second-fastest goal to start a game by a defenceman in team history, trailing Robert Svehla’s goal 14 seconds into a 3-3 tie with the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 5, 1998. Florida extended its streak of games with two or fewer goals allowed to 11 games. Bobrovsky also extended his personal winning streak to seven games. The Panthers have won 10 of their last 11. Ottawa finished the night with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. UP NEXT Senators: Host the Dallas Stars on Thursday. Panthers: Visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. — AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl 13