5 Takeaways: Panthers Strike Late Again, Lose to Hurricanes in OT

SUNRISE, Fla. - The Panthers picked up another critical point in the standings but came up just short once again in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Hurricanes at BB&T Center on Monday night.

"There's some good things to take out of the way we're playing," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. "We're competing and getting points game in, game out. Finding a way to win, we're doing the right things. You can't complain when you're getting points."
Ending up behind the eight ball for the fifth straight game, the Panthers found themselves in a 1-0 hole heading into the first intermission after Brett Pesce blasted a shot on the power play that flew past a screened Chris Driedger and into the net to break the ice at 13:35 of the first period.
Soon after, Patric Hornqvist appeared to tie the game for the Panthers with a power-play goal of his own, but the would-be score was waived off by officials who deemed that they had blown the whistle before the gritty Swede poked the puck past Alexander Nedeljkovic across the goal line.
With neither goaltender giving up an inch in the second period, the Panthers remained down 1-0 until red-hot Frank Vatrano - who else? - finally got them on the board in the third period. After Aleksander Barkov's initial shot was stopped, Vatrano maneuvered his way around a defender before sending the ensuing rebound straight past Nedeljkovic to even things up at 1-1 at 4:40.
Driedger finished with 24 saves, while Nedeljkovic stopped 44, including 21 in the third period.
Giving the Cats their first lead of the night, rookie Eetu Luostarinen made several whacks at the puck before finally beating Nedeljkovic from the doorstep to make it 2-1 at 16:51. Unfortunately, that lead would be very short lived as Vincent Trocheck then pulled Carolina even just 1:36 later, connecting on a one-timer to make it 2-2 and force overtime for the second straight game.
At 1:59 of the extra frame, Martin Necas, who won it for the Hurricanes in the shootout on Saturday, buried a cross-crease pass from Sebastian Aho to hand the Panthers a 3-2 loss.
Taking a closer look at the numbers, this was another game the Panthers clearly dominated on paper, including finishing with lopsided advantages in shots on goal (38-14), scoring chances (28-7) and high-danger shot attempts (15-3) at 5-on-5 play, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
In other words, despite the loss, the Cats, who remain atop the Central Division with a 13-4-4 record, have no reason to hang their heads as they prepare to embark on a five-game road trip.
"It was an interesting ending," Quenneville said. "It looked like we were in a pretty good spot to win the game, and then that was it. I liked the way we were competing. Even though we were trailing for a big part of the game, it didn't affect how we were competing, how we were playing and doing a lot of right things."
Here are five takeaways from Monday's overtime loss in Sunrise…

1. VATRANO MOVES UP

Vatrano and scoring clutch third period goals -- can you name a more iconic duo?
Lightning the lamp for the third straight game in the final frame, Vatrano outmuscled a defender before sending a rebound shot past Nedeljkovic to tie the game 1-1 at 4:40 of the third period.

Promoted to the top line for tonight's game, Vatrano certainly made the most out of his golden opportunity. In addition to his goal, he also fired off five shots over 18:22 of ice time. With his timely score, he also tied Carter Verhaeghe for the most 5-on-5 goals on the team with seven.
"I thought that line really got going in the third," Quenneville said. "Scoring certainly helped it, but I think off the rush they started generating some quick little plays around the net and off of turnovers as well. They've all got quickness and can all make plays. Frankie's been around the net a lot this year, so nice to see him finish. That line, it looked like there's something there."

2. EETU NETS ONE

Luostarinen had a big goal against his former team tonight.
With the game tied 1-1 late in the third period, the 22-year-old rookie took a pass from Mason Marchment and fired off a flurry of shots on Nedeljkovic before one finally slipped past him and into the net to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead with just 3:09 remaining on the clock in regulation.

"Marchy's come into the lineup and given us a spark," Quenneville said of Marchment.
In 21 games with Florida, Luostarinen, who was acquired in a multi-player trade with Carolina at last year's trade deadline, has registered eight points (three goals, five assists). Kicking it up a notch tonight, he unleashed a season-high five shots on goal while also dishing out three hits.

3. CAROLINA'S POWER

The Hurricanes continue to make the Panthers pay when they take a penalty.
Entering tonight's matchup with the sixth-ranked power play in the league, Carolina went 1-for-3 on the man advantage. Finding the back of the net with the extra attacker in every game they've played against the Cats this season, they've gone 4-for-9 (44.4%) through three games thus far.
"They're simple," Barkov said of Carolina's power play. "They put a lot of pucks to the net. They battle really hard. That's what they do. They win battles. From the blue line and the wings, they get pucks to the net. That's what makes them successful. Winning battles is huge."
Looking for some redemption, the Panthers will get another chance to shut down the Hurricanes on special teams when the two clubs go head-to-head in Raleigh on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. ET.

4. ACCIARI BACK IN ACTION

After missing the last eight games, Noel Acciari returned to Florida's lineup tonight.
Out of action since suffering a lower-body injury against the Lightning on Feb. 13, the 29-year-old center looked no worse for wear. Back in his usual spot on the fourth line against Carolina, he laid out to block one shot and accumulated a team-leading six hits over 11:28 of ice time.
"It took a couple shifts to kind of feel the puck and get in game-mode again," Acciari said. "I wanted to throw a couple hits and get myself in the game, just kind of get going."
Heading into tonight's matchup, Acciari paced the Panthers in blocks per 60 minutes (6.15).

5. BARKOV'S MILESTONE

Barkov is halfway to 1,000.
By taking the ice against the Hurricanes, the Panthers captain officially competed in the 500th NHL game of his career. Hearing that reminds you time flies, doesn't it? In fact, it feels like only yesterday that he was selected by Florida with the second-overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.
"That's a lot," Barkov said of the milestone. "A huge accomplishment for myself, but it obviously would've been nice to get a win today. It means a lot. Even one game in this league is a dream. Every game for me is living the dream, trying to be as good as I can and hopefully [playing in] many more."
Breaking into the league at 18 years old, Barkov, now 25, has certainly accomplished a lot in his first 500 games, recording 429 points (163 goals, 266 assists) while also winning the 2019 Lady Byng Trophy, given out annually to the player that to best combines sportsmanship and ability.

BONUS: TUA TIME

Shoutout to Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for checking out the Cats tonight!