Panthers recover, edge Kraken in shootout in Maurice's 2,000th NHL game

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers blew a three-goal lead late in the third period before recovering to defeat the Seattle Kraken 5-4 in a shootout in Paul Maurice's 2,000th NHL game at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday.

Maurice is the second coach in League history to reach the milestone, joining Scotty Bowman (2,141).

“That was very appreciated," said Maurice, who was honored by the team during a timeout in the first period. “That was very nice. This place has been great, the fans have been great here, and I really appreciate the acknowledgement from the Florida Panthers and the fans."

Noah Gregor had a goal and an assist, and Nolan Foote, Eetu Luostarinen and Carter Verhaeghe also scored for the Panthers (35-32-3), who had lost three of four. Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves and stopped all three attempts he faced in the shootout.

Florida is 12 points behind the Ottawa Senators for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

Jordan Eberle had a goal and an assist, and Ryker Evans, Matty Beniers and Bobby McMann also scored in the third period for the Kraken (31-29-10), who have lost four straight (0-3-1) since defeating the Panthers 6-2 on March 15 and eight of their past 10 (2-7-1). Joey Daccord made 21 saves.

Seattle is five points behind the Nashville Predators for the second wild card from the Western Conference.

“I thought our comeback and our resolve was really good. So, pretty happy with that,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert said. “We’re just a little bit away from execution. We certainly had an opportunity to get looks. We had some, we could have more."

Gregor gave the Panthers a 4-1 lead at 12:21 of the third period when his centering pass for Foote on a rush deflected in off the stick of Kraken forward Shane Wright.

“I stuck to the things I do well. I thought I skated well," said Gregor, who was recalled from Charlotte of the American Hockey League earlier in the day. “I thought we played really strong as a line.”

Beniers made it 4-2 at 14:17. He skated across the crease and tucked a shot past the right pad of Bobrovsky, who had attempted to knock the puck away with a poke check.

“We were trying to push, trying to get momentum," Beniers said. “We got that goal from (Evans earlier in the third) and it kind of sparked it up. We didn’t get the two points, but that was a good push at the end. ... There was no quit at any point in that game. We just have to find a way to put ourselves in a better position going into the third period. We’re chasing a lot of games right now."

Eberle cut it to 4-3 at 16:24, forcing a turnover on Dmitry Kulikov before skating in and beating Bobrovsky over his glove on a breakaway.

Seattle then tied it 4-4 just 14 seconds later. McMann skated in on another breakaway but this time shot past Bobrovsky's blocker.

“Down 4-1, looking bleak, our resolve was good and it’s unfortunate we couldn’t get the two (points)," Lambert said. “We walk out of here at least moving ahead in the standings. We just have to move on to the next game.”

Florida opened the scoring at 2:32 of the second period. Gregor drove the puck down the left wing on a 2-on-1 rush and fed a streaking Foote, who chipped the puck past Daccord in front.

“Obviously, they tie it up in the third, and you need to keep a good bench to try and stay positive, get the W,” Foote said.

Luostarinen made it 2-0 at 5:16 of the third period. Vinnie Hinostroza got to a loose puck near the slot and sent a backhand toward the net that redirected five-hole off the stick of Luostarinen.

Verhaeghe extended the lead to 3-0 at 7:37. Following a giveaway by Wright, Verhaeghe got control of the puck along the end boards and banked a shot in off Daccord's right pad.

Evans made it 3-1 at 8:10. His one-timer from the point went wide of the net, but it caromed hard off the end boards and bounced in off Bobrovsky's left skate as he was backing into position.

“I don’t think I have ever seen four unassisted goals in a hockey game," Maurice said. “So, that tells you how it was played. I liked our start, you get into a game and you get that lead. In our position now ... we were fooling around with the puck a little bit too much.”

NOTES: Bobrovsky's win was the 455th of his career, moving him past Curtis Joseph (454) for sole possession of seventh in League history. ...  Seattle defenseman Adam Larsson played in his 1,000th NHL game. He had the secondary assist on Beniers' goal.