The Comeback Cats made their first appearance of the new season on Saturday night at Amerant Bank Arena.
Florida came back from a 4-1 second period deficit to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in overtime.
Several Panthers who are fighting for roster spots on the NHL squad were on the ice Saturday.
View the original article to see embedded media.
Patrick Giles centered a line between Ryan McAllister and Wilmer Skoog and the trio teamed up on Florida’s first goal of the game.
Skoog jumped on a loose puck in the Hurricanes zone and sent a cross-ice feed to McAllister, who quickly sent the puck to the back post, where Giles was cutting and deflected the shot past a sprawling Spencer Martin.
The goal tied the game at one with 5:25 left in the first period.
Florida’s second goal came about seven minutes into the second period, and it was the same three Cats who got on the scoresheet. This time it was Skoog finishing off the nice pass from McAllister, with Giles picking up the second dime.
Two youngsters who have received praise recently from Paul Maurice, Gracyn Sawchyn and Hunter St. Martin, skated on the same line along with Jonah Gadjovich.
It was an up and down game for Sawchyn, who showed off his hands and speed and played a mostly responsible game, minus a neutral zone turnover in the final seconds of the first period that led directly to a breakaway goal by Carolina’s Juha Jaaska and a hooking call during the second that he’d probably want back.
St. Martin showed off some speed during the overtime session, picking up the primary assist on Jesper Boqvist’s game-winner.
Here is how Florida’s power play units looked during the game:
PP1: Lundell, McAllister, Skoog, Luostarinen, Boqvist
PP2: Giles, Sawchyn, Vilmanis, St. Martin, Schmidt
OT PP1: Lundell, Luostarinen, Sawchyn, A. Boqvist
OT PP2: Giles, Skoog, Kulikov, Schmidt
Giles and Jesper Boqvist also saw some time on the penalty kill, as did Skoog and Gadjovich.
The Panthers will be back on the ice Monday when they face the Tampa Bay Lightning in Sunrise.
LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS – FLORIDA
Florida set to host Hurricanes following lopsided loss in Raleigh
Panthers release pair of goaltenders from training camp PTOs
The Hockey Show: Getting geared up for the season with Sean McDonough, Adnan Virk
Veteran-heavy Hurricanes lineup dominates young Panthers group in 8-2 preseason route
Roster battles taking shape as Panthers head to Raleigh for matchup with Hurricanes
