Luostarinen's 1st multigoal NHL game lifts Panthers past Canadiens

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Eetu Luostarinen scored two goals for the first time in the NHL, and the Florida Panthers won their fourth straight game with a 4-1 victory against the Montreal Canadiens at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday.

Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe each had a goal and an assist, and Aaron Ekblad and Oliver Ekman-Larsson each had two assists for Florida (22-12-2), which was coming off a 4-3 win against the New York Rangers on Friday. Anthony Stolarz made 18 saves.

“Things were not easy for us, and Montreal played us hard defensively,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “[Luostarinen] was able to drive through it. I thought we had a couple of guys who were able to play as hard as they did [Friday] night.”

Cole Caufield scored, and Jake Allen made 22 saves for Montreal (15-15-5), which has lost two straight.

The Canadiens have lost six in a row and 10 of their past 11 games against the Panthers.

“They have had our number the past couple of years,” Allen said. “That’s just the way it is sometimes. You just have to find a way to break that curse, especially when a team is in your division and you play them four times. Those are big points. We were right there.”

Luostarinen gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead at 4:05 of the second period with a power-play goal. Evan Rodrigues' initial shot hit him in front, and he spun around and swatted the puck past Allen.

Caufield tied it 1-1 at 7:01 with his own power-play goal, roofing a backhand from the left post.

Luostarinen put Florida back in front 2-1 at 7:34 of the third period with his second power-play goal. He took a pass from Ekblad and scored with a backhand near the left post.

“Obviously, it is nice being on our power play,” Luostarinen said. “I am trying to take advantage of it.”

Bennett pushed it to 3-1 at 15:26 when he redirected Ekman-Larsson's shot from the left point.

Verhaeghe scored into an empty net at 17:13 for the 4-1 final.

“It is hard to play 60 minutes of good hockey against a good team,” Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. “They are going to make you struggle sometimes, but I liked that my team tied up going into the third, but you have to be careful of your actions all over the ice.”

NOTES: Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson had an assist in his 500th NHL game. ... Verhaeghe has six points (three goals, three assists) in his past four games.