Panthers defeat Maple Leafs in shootout of goaltending duel

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Nick Bjugstad scored in the second period and in the shootout to help the Florida Panthers defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 at BB&T Center on Wednesday.

Bjugstad ended the game in the fourth round by deking Frederik Andersen to the ice before flicking a wrist shot for the fifth shootout winner of his NHL career.
"I hadn't got in a shootout for a while, so I went with what I usually go with," said Bjugstad, who's 11-for-30 in shootouts. "Aleksander Barkov]*
Toronto (14-8-1) has lost two straight after winning six in a row. Defenseman Morgan Rielly's last-second shot in the third period hit the post. Andersen made 42 saves.
Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo, who made 43 saves, gave up a shootout goal to Patrick Marleau but stopped Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Tyler Bozak. Florida (8-11-2) had lost two in a row.
"Luongo was our best player tonight,'' Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "Some nights you need that. The goals have been hard to come by lately, and that's when you need your goaltending."

In overtime, Matthews came down the right wing on a breakaway, but Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson made a diving poke check to knock the puck away. Matthews then tripped over Matheson's stick.
"Mike made a great play. He got the puck first," Luongo said. "I know their bench was a little bit upset there, but we got the puck first, then got out of the way. Obviously, he tripped over the stick.
"He's got that speed that sometimes when he gets beat, he's so fast he's able to come back and make a play like that which was a key play of the game, obviously."
Bjugstad backhanded a shot from the side of the net that caromed off the skate of Toronto defenseman Connor Carrick to give Florida a 1-0 lead at 15:16 of the second period.
"I was just chopping at it, trying to get it in front of the net to [Henrik] Haapala, trying to feed him," Bjugstad said. "It went off a skate or a stick and was in the back of the net. I was laughing. … It was a lucky goal, but we'll take it."

Bjugstad has 34 shots on goal in 10 games in November to lead the Panthers. He has five goals, including three in his past six games. Haapala had the secondary assist in his NHL debut.
"I think [Bjugstad has] been pretty good for the last little while and he's starting to get his bounces now," Boughner said. "I think he's feeling a little more comfortable playing on that right wing, and we need him to be a top-six guy and contribute offensively."
Maple Leafs forward Connor Brown made a cross-ice pass to Nazem Kadri for a one-timer that tied it 1-1 at 13:58 of the third period.
"They came [right out] and shot a lot of pucks on the net. We knew they were going to do that," Andersen said. "I thought we got better and better as the game went on. Unfortunately, we didn't get rewarded."

Goal of the game

Barkov's one-handed shootout goal.

Save of the game

Luongo's glove save on Rielly's point-blank slap shot at 13:38 of the second period.

Highlight of the game

Bjugstad's shootout goal.

They said it

"I thought we competed at a high level, and I thought we had lots of opportunities. Luongo was really sharp. We got a point, though, so let's get out of here, and Happy Thanksgiving everybody if you're an American." -- Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock
"I didn't even look. I looked the other way. I'm superstitious. Those guys put time into that, though. It's not a fluke. Those four or five guys practice those moves. It's a huge goal for us." -- Panthers coach Bob Boughner on Aleksander Barkov's shootout goal

Need to know

After a season-high 52 shots on goal in a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, the Panthers outshot the Maple Leafs 11-0 in the opening 8:30. … Kadri extended his point streak to an NHL career-best eight games (five goals, four assists). He has 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 21 games against Florida. … Barkov is 2-for-3 in shootouts this season and 17-for-32 in his NHL career. He is 12-for-16 in shootouts in the past two seasons.

What's next

Maple Leafs: At Carolina Hurricanes on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-CR, TSN4, NHL.TV)
Panthers: Host Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; FS-F, NBCSCH, NHL.TV)