RECAP: Islanders 5, Panthers 4

ELMONT, N.Y. – That one stings.

Keeping the Florida Panthers from pocketing at least one precious point, Anders Lee scored in the final minute of regulation to lift the New York Islanders to a 5-4 win at UBS Arena on Sunday.

Falling to 30-27-3, the Panthers remain eight points out of a playoff spot.

“It’s tough to lose that way,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “I don’t think there was a lot of action, but the puck was never particularly well controlled. That will be the story for us. We had pucks just inside their line and didn’t get to the goal line to allow us to forecheck the puck. Turnovers, but they weren’t bad pass turnovers. Just had control, lose control.”

Back from injury, Dmitry Kulikov suited up in his first game since Oct. 9.

“You put in the work,” said Kulikov, who saw 20:27 of ice time in his return. “You’re trying to get out there, help the team win, trying to bring some energy and new life. Yeah, it was good to get out there and be a part of it again.”

Making his first-ever trip to the Empire State, Sandis Vilmanis opened the scoring for the Panthers when he gloved down a pass from A.J. Greer before slipping a backhand shot under Islanders goaltender David Rittich’s pads to make it 1-0 at 3:44 of the first period.

Cashing in on the power play, the Panthers doubled their lead when Sam Bennett beat Rittich with a far-side snipe from just inside the top of the left circle to make it 2-0 at 14:54.

Getting the Islanders on the board, rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer fired a shot on net that bounce off a few Panthers before hitting off the crossbar and then Sergei Bobrovsky’s back before trickling across the goal line and into the net to bring the score to 2-1 at 18:01.

With play at 4-on-4 in the second period, the Islanders got the game knotted up when Carson Soucy found a loose puck and ripped a shot past Bobrovsky to make it 2-2 at 7:28.

Notching his third multi-goal game of the season, Bennett, who’s been on fire coming out of the break, regained the lead for the Panthers when he took a perfect pass from Matthew Tkachuk, skated in on Rittich and buried a wicked backhand shot to make it 3-2 at 12:04.

“It’s definitely nice getting some bodies back, and hopefully we get some back here soon,” Bennett said of the Panthers trying to find a spark. “We’re on the road here. We know how important games are. We’re sticking together as a team. We’re going to fight to the very end.”

At 17:14, Bo Horvat scored from a sharp angle for New York to make it 3-3.

Building on a stellar season that will probably end with him winning the Calder Trophy, Schaefer, still just 18 years old, put the Islanders up 4-3 at 10:29 of the third period when he fired a shot that took a fortuitous bounce off a defender and sailed past Bobrovsky.

After pulling Bobrovsky to gain a 6-on-5 advantage, Sam Reinahrt found the equalizer for the Panthers when he fired a seeing-eye shot down the slot and past a screened Rittich to make it 4-4 with 1:58 remaining in regulation.

Providing the heroics for the home team, Lee speeded around Florida’s defense before tucking in a shot to lock down the 5-4 win for the Islanders with 31.8 seconds left.

Needing to turn a corner late in the season, the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions are looking for a spark.

“Any one good feeling,” Maurice said. “Any one good play that gives them the feeling that there’s hope. That’s really what we’re trying to drive now. They’ve got miles on them, but they’ve played a lot of big games together. That’s the key.”

THEY SAID IT

“It’s great to get him back. He played big minutes for a guy that’s been off five months. I thought he was great.” – Paul Maurice on Dmitry Kulikov

“We pushed hard tonight. The games are too important to be giving up games like that.” – Sam Bennett on tonight’s loss

CATS STATS

- Sergei Bobrovsky earned his fifth career point.

- Matthew Tkachuk recorded his 78^th multi-point game as a Panther.

- Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling each skated more than 26 minutes.

- Eetu Luostarinen and A.J. Greer each had a team-high four hits.

- Sam Bennett has tallied five points (3G, 2A) in his last three games.

WHAT’S NEXT?

The Panthers will continue their quest for crucial points when they face-off against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Arena on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.

To find a place to watch in South Florida, click HERE.