SUNDAY’S RESULTS
Home Team in Caps
PANTHERS STAGE THIRD-PERIOD COMEBACK
After falling behind 4-2 during a six-goal second-period, the Florida Panthers scored four unanswered goals in the final period, including Brad Boyes’ game-winner with 3:15 remaining, to win their fourth consecutive home game and improve to 6-0-1 in their past seven at BB&T Center.
* The Panthers (16-9-8, 40 points) have reached 40 points through 33 games for the fifth time in franchise history (1995-96: 48 pts.; 1996-97: 45 pts.; 1999-2000: 43 pts.; 2011-12: 42 pts.); they are fifth in the Atlantic Division and sit two points behind the Washington Capitals (18-11-6, 42 points) for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
* Per Elias Sports Bureau, the Panthers last rallied from a multigoal third-period deficit to earn a regulation win on March 2 against the Islanders. In that game, Shawn Matthias (2-1-3) and Scottie Upshall (1-2-3) recorded three points to help Florida climb from a 3-1 hole for a 5-3 win.
* Elias says that through 529 NHL games this season, 21 have seen a team overcome a multigoal third-period deficit to win, including five such victories in regulation.
* The Panthers won a game in which they trailed to start the third period for the second time this season (2-7-3); on Nov. 28, Sean Bergenheim and Jimmy Hayes erased a 2-1 third-period deficit en route to a 3-2 win against the Ottawa Senators.
* Boyes has six goals this season, including four on the power play and two game-winners; he was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round (24th overall) of the 2000 NHL Draft, but never played a game for the club.
* Dmitry Kulikov (1-1-2) scored early in the third period (his first goal since March 31) before fellow defenseman Willie Mitchell knotted the score at 4-4. Prior to Sunday, Panthers defensemen not named Aaron Ekblad, who has five goals, had combined for four goals through Florida’s first 32 games of the season.
* A total of 12 skaters found the scoresheet for the Panthers, including multipoint performances from Kulikov, Jonathan Huberdeau (1-1-2) and Jussi Jokinen (0-2-2). Per Elias, the last time at least 12 different Panthers players recorded a point was Dec. 27, 2011, in a 5-3 win vs. Toronto.
FOWLER'S OVERTIME HEROICS LIFT DUCKS
Trailing 1-0 after 40 minutes, Francois Beauchemin scored his first goal of the season to force overtime, and Cam Fowler netted the winner to lift the Ducks to their fifth straight home win.
* The Ducks improved to 10-2-1 overall in December. If they win their next game, on Wednesday vs. the San Jose Sharks, the Ducks will match the franchise record for wins in December (11-1-1 in 2013).
* Overall the Ducks (24-8-6, 54 points) are tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for the most wins in the NHL and remain in first place in both the Western Conference and League standings.
* Ryan Getzlaf (0-2-2) registered his 15th multipoint game of the season to stretch his point streak to eight games (4-9-13), marking the longest active point streak in the NHL. Getzlaf now has eight point streaks of at least eight consecutive team games in his career.
* Getzlaf leads the entire NHL in assists (15) and points (20) in December. Elias says that Getzlaf has set a franchise record with 20 points in December, breaking the previous mark of 19 set by Paul Kariya in December 1996 and matched by Teemu Selanne in December 2006.
* Overall, Getzlaf shares second in the League with 30 assists and third with 42 (tied with Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers in each category).
* Making his 31st start of the season, Frederik Andersen improved to 20-5-5 with a 2.29 goals-against average and .916 save percentage. Per Elias, Andersen leads all goaltenders with 10 wins in December (10-1-1) and has set a new franchise record for victories in any calendar month, breaking the previous mark of nine set by Guy Hebert in February 1999 and matched by Jean-Sebastien Giguere (March 2006) and twice by Jonas Hiller (January 2010, December 2013).
* Fowler scored his third career overtime goal to move into a share of sixth on the franchise’s all-time list; overall he has seven career game-winning goals.
* The Ducks have earned at least one point in each of their past nine games against the Vancouver Canucks (8-0-1) dating to April 25, 2013.
LOOSE PUCKS
By earning one point, the Canucks (20-11-3, 43 points) leapfrogged the idle Los Angeles Kings (18-11-7, 43 points) and Sharks (19-12-5, 43 points) into second place in the Pacific Division . . . Toronto’s Joffrey Lupul (0-2-2) eclipsed 400 NHL points (192-209-401), and teammate Jake Gardiner (0-1-1) played in his 200th NHL game . . . Forward Max Friberg made his NHL debut with the Ducks . . . Ducks forward Devante Smith-Pelly recorded the primary assist on Anaheim’s overtime goal to stretch his assist/point streak to three games (0-3-3) . . . Maple Leafs defenseman Roman Polak scored his fourth goal of the season (26 games played) to equal his career-high set in 2009-10 (78 GP) and equaled in 2013-14 (72 GP) . . . Randy Carlyle was behind the Maple Leafs bench for his 700th NHL game, becoming the 44th head coach (13th active) in NHL history to reach the milestone.