Ekblad scores with 10 seconds left in OT in Panthers win against Stars
Responds after his goal at 4:16 nullified for offside; Verhaeghe has hat trick for Florida
By
Sean Farrell
NHL.com Independent Correspondent
Ekblad won it on a backhand off a pass from Jonathan Huberdeau. He had scored 34 seconds earlier, but Dallas coach Rick Bowness challenged for offside, and the goal was nullified after video review showed Ekblad entered the Stars zone ahead of the puck at 4:13.
"I was very discouraged," Ekblad said. "That one hurt, especially because in that situation it's kind of the last thing you're thinking about when you have a clear-cut 2-on-1 to stay onside. Looking down at it, it hurt, but [assistant coach Ulf Samuelsson] put me right back out there and gave me the opportunity. And [Sergei Bobrovsky] made a huge blocker save, that's the only reason we were able to do that and go win that game."
Carter Verhaeghe had a hat trick, scoring at even strength, on the power play and shorthanded, and had an assist for his first four-point game in the NHL, and Bobrovsky made 31 saves for the Panthers (21-9-4), who had lost the first three of a five-game road trip that concludes with the second of back-to-back games here Sunday.
"That's a big deal," Ekblad said. "There's a depression when you go through these things. You know three games doesn't sound like much, but it's a lot in this league, and it's really important in terms of seeding and positioning for us to win, so it was one of those things where we talked about taking it one period at a time, and we did tonight. We didn't get flustered."
Denis Gurianov, John Klingberg and Joel L'Esperance scored, and Anton Khudobin made 24 saves for the Stars (11-11-9), who defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 on Thursday but haven't won consecutive games since Jan. 26-28.
"It's frustrating that we can't keep winning and get on a run," Klingberg said. "It's a new game tomorrow and it's been the same the whole season. We're just going to have to move on. The only thing we can do is focus on what we can do."
It was the seventh time Dallas failed to win a second consecutive game since beginning the season with a four-game winning streak from Jan. 22-28.
"We just keep pushing hard," Bowness said. "Did we play well enough to win? Yeah, so it's how you play the game. And we're playing well enough, so it's our lack of finish at the right times, that's all it is. If we weren't playing well, that's a whole other conversation."
Verhaeghe scored at even strength to give Florida a 1-0 lead 24 seconds into the first period, scored a power-play goal that tied it 2-2 at 17:00, and completed the hat trick with a shorthanded goal at 17:40 of the second period for a 3-2 lead.
It was the first NHL hat trick with an even-strength, power-play and shorthanded goal since March 17, when Mika Zibanejad scored all three in the second period of the New York Rangers' 9-0 win against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Noel Acciari had the primary assist on each of Verhaeghe's first two goals.
"He's a heart-and-soul guy for our team," Verhaeghe said. "He's a big part of our team. He does everything team-first. He blocks shots, makes great plays, he's hard on the puck, plays penalty kill, plays power play, I mean, he's so important to us and he made a couple of big plays tonight, and it's good to see him get rewarded too."
L'Esperance drew Dallas even for the second time when he scored at 3:00 of the third period to tie it 3-3. It was his first goal since Oct. 10, 2019.
Gurianov tied it 1-1 at 8:01 of the first period when he scored from the edge of the crease on Jamie Benn's pass into the goalmouth from behind the goal line.
Dallas took a 2-1 lead at 9:57 when Klingberg scored on a one-timer over Bobrovsky's glove from the left face-off circle.
NOTES:Florida's Keith Yandle became the first defenseman and third player to play 900 consecutive NHL games (Doug Jarvis, 964; Garry Unger, 914). … Verhaeghe is the third player in Panthers history with a hat trick that included an even-strength, power-play and shorthanded goal (Colton Sceviour, Oct. 30, 2016, at Detroit Red Wings; Nathan Horton, Dec. 14, 2009, at New York Islanders). … Verhaeghe's first hat trick came as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 9-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 7, 2020. … Dallas forward Roope Hintz was a late scratch because of a lower-body injury. … Benn's assist was his 399th in the NHL. … Joel Hanley had two assists for the Stars.
