Panthers Edge Blackhawks 3-2 to Snap Two-Game Skid as Lars Eller Scores First Florida Goal With 2:23 Left
CHICAGO — Lars Eller scored the go-ahead goal with 2:23 remaining in the third period to lift the visiting Florida Panthers to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on Sunday, snapping Florida's two-game losing streak, according to Reuters. Sandis Vilmanis and Matthew Tkachuk also scored for Florida, and goaltender Akira Schmid stopped 20 shots.
Eller netted his first goal of the season at 17:37 of the third period as the Panthers caught the Blackhawks in a line change. He took a long pass from Aaron Ekblad just inside the blue line, weaved down the right side and beat Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight with a wrist shot from the circle. For the 37-year-old Eller, it was also his first goal as a member of the Panthers; he began his NHL career with the St. Louis Blues in 2009-10 and has since played for the Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche, Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators. Schmid turned aside Cole Smith on a breakaway with 5:45 remaining to keep the game tied at 2.
Chicago opened the scoring in the first period when Ryan Greene batted a bouncing puck past Schmid at the top of the crease, with Andrew Mangiapane earning the primary assist in his return to the lineup after a lower-body injury suffered in the season opener on Sept. 29. Florida tied it just over four minutes later as Vilmanis backhanded a loose puck past Knight after a save on Sam Reinhart, and Tkachuk deflected Seth Jones' point shot five seconds into a power play at 14:21 to put the Panthers ahead 2-1. Chicago equalized at 11:15 of the second period when Roman Kantserov took a Patrick Kane feed from behind the net and scored on a wrist shot.
Special teams hurt the Blackhawks, who went 0-for-7 on the power play, while Knight made 29 saves. Florida limited Chicago to one shot during a four-minute power play early in the second period after Carter Verhaeghe's high-sticking double-minor. The Blackhawks fell to 2-4-0 on a seven-game homestand that concludes Tuesday with a visit from the Los Angeles Kings.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国 Chicago 的 United Center 外景（资料照片），本场比赛即在此举行。Alacoolwiki 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons 发布。/ The United Center in Chicago (file photo), venue of Sunday's game. Photo by Alacoolwiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
