Panthers rally with three goals in third period to defeat Stars

SUNRISE, Fla. --The Florida Panthers scored three goals in a span of 3:11 in the third period to rally for a 3-2 win against the Dallas Stars at BB&T Center on Thursday.

Frank Vatrano scored the game-winner at 16:50 with a shot from the slot.
"It was one of the games all year where I thought we were being outplayed, and then all of a sudden we captured a little life a couple of shifts in the third, and then scoring that goal, all of a sudden the bench lit up," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. "Great response all the way through it. It was a big win for us and one of those that came out of nowhere. We feel fortunate and don't expect to win many like that."
Aleksander Barkov and Anton Stralman scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 37 saves for Florida (13-4-2), which has won five of seven, including twice in three games here (3-1 on Monday before losing 3-0 on Wednesday).
Joe Pavelski and Jamie Benn scored for Dallas (6-5-4). Jake Oettinger made 32 saves and lost for the first time in regulation in the NHL (2-1-3).
"We had them in a good spot and were playing good hockey and we let them back," Pavelski said. "As we sat back and the game went on they found their momentum and we didn't answer. A tough loss."

Barkov cut the lead to 2-1 at 13:39 of the third period, and Stralman tied it 2-2 at 14:31 with a slap shot from the right circle.
"The third period, especially the last 10 minutes, we were all over them, played in their zone almost all the time," Barkov said. "Obviously it was just a matter of time. We were going to score. We finally got the lucky bounce. We didn't get any lucky bounces last game or this game, but finally got it and it got us going."
Florida is 6-0-0 after a loss this season.
"Bounce-back games are always huge," Barkov said. "You can't lose two in a row. We actually mentioned that before the game. It's going to get us far if we're going to keep playing like this, playing extra hard, kind of [ticked-off] hockey after we lose. Obviously you don't want to lose at all, but it gives an extra boost that we've got to come out even harder because that wasn't enough last game. That's what we did today, especially in the third period."

Pavelski gave Dallas a 1-0 lead at 2:10 of the second period on a power-play goal on a rebound at the left of the net. Benn made it 2-0 at 17:49 when he tipped John Klingberg's shot from the point after Dallas won a face-off in the Florida zone.
"We never got that third goal," Stars coach Rick Bowness said. "We had plenty of chances but didn't get it. We just sat back. That's why they're in first place and we're battling to get back in it."
Bobrovsky, making his second start in seven games, made several key saves to keep the score 2-0.
"I thought he was excellent," Quenneville said. "I'd call that a goalie win. Every period he kept us in there. He gave us a chance where maybe something could happen in the third and we found a way, but 'Bob' was the reason why."
NOTES:Florida defenseman Keith Yandle played in his 885th consecutive game to move past Steve Larmer for the third-longest streak in NHL history (Doug Jarvis, 964; Gary Unger, 914). Yandle began his streak March 26, 2009. … Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas (upper body) was scratched after taking part in warmup. Quenneville said he is day to day. Gudas was replaced by Kevin Connauton, who had five hits playing 20:26 in his Panthers debut. He signed a one-year contract Jan. 13 and was recalled from the taxi squad earlier in the day. … Dallas was 5-0-0 when leading after two periods. … This was Florida's NHL-high 10th comeback victory. … Pavelski has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in the past nine games.