RECAP: Panthers 6, Senators 3

SUNRISE, Fla. – Sound the horn.

Behind a five-goal first period, the Florida Panthers defeated the Ottawa Senators 6-3 at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday night, improving to 36-35-3.

“We’re going to fight until the end no matter what,” Seth Jones said after the win. “We’re going to keep the culture alive.”

A historic start, the Panthers couldn’t have begun the game any faster.

Scoring the fastest goal to the start of a game in franchise, Noah Gregor split through the Senators and buried Jones’ pass that was banked off the back wall just eight seconds into the game.

Setting the new mark, the previous bests were 10 seconds by Johan Garpenlov (Oct. 17, 1996) and Aleksander Barkov (April. 5, 2016).

“That was a big one,” Carter Verhaeghe said of the quick goal. “It got us some momentum, especially at home.”

Extending the lead just over a minute later, Mackie Samoskevich tapped in a pass from Jones on the power at 1:06 to make it 2-0.

Samoskevich’s goal was his eighth of the year and second straight game lighting the lamp.

Making it 3-0, Verhaeghe scored his 22nd of the season on the power play at 9:07.

Joining in on the first period scoring, A.J. Greer continued to improve his career best in single season goals, netting his 14th of the season at 14:02 to make it 4-0.

Keeping the goal horn going, Verhaeghe scored his second of the game and made it 5-0 with a two-on-one backdoor tap in from Sam Bennett at 14:36.

The five first period goals were just the second time in team history of tallying as many in the opening frame, previously doing so on March 16, 2023, against the Montreal Canadiens.

“I thought we had a lot of jump tonight right from the start,” Bennett said of the first period. “It’s always fun when you score a lot of goals, so we enjoyed that one.”

Getting the Senators on the board at the start of the second period, Drake Batherson made it 5-1 at 1:40.

Answering back, Bennett found Matthew Tkachuk backdoor at 12:41 to make it 6-1.

Tkachuk’s goal was his fourth in as many games.

Cutting into the deficit for Ottawa, Jordan Spence brought the score to 6-2 on a wrist shot at 15:14.

Striking in the third period, Michael Amadio inched the Senators closer with a goal at 4:29 to make it 6-3.

After Gregor received a five-minute major and match penalty for a hit on Carter Yakemchuk, the Panther not only prevented any damage while being shorthanded from that penalty, but were able to hold off a six-on-three attempt following a Gustav Forsling tripping penalty.

Standing strong on the late push from the Senators, the Panthers held on to win 6-3 and snapped their three-game skid.

“You need to be able to do that every once in a while to feel good,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the win. “That’s a good mental health win for the Panthers.”

THEY SAID IT

“It’s awesome to know that our kids are going to grow up together.” - Sam Bennett on becoming one of the many dads on the team

“They’ve been true to it. We’ve had some tough nights, but the bench has been right. We’re cheering for each other. They’re engaged in the game, they’re talking about the game… [The] guys are trying and giving everything they’ve got.” – Paul Maurice on team culture

CATS STATS

- Per NHL Stats, Seth Jones tied Radko Gudas (April 13, 2023) and Bryan McCabe (March 3, 2010) for the most assists in a period by a defenseman in Panthers history with three.

- The Panthers went 2/3 on the power play.

- Matthew Tkachuk recorded his 10th four-point game (1G, 3A) with the Panthers.

- Per NaturalStatTrick.com, the Panthers lead 10-2 in high-danger chances in the first period.

- Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk, and Carter Verhaeghe combined for nine points (3G, 6A)

WHAT’S NEXT?

Battle with the Bruins.

The Panthers will take on the Boston Bruins at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.

For tickets, click here.