Panthers push past Sharks with big third period

Frank Vatrano recorded his first four-point game, Florida broke a third-period tie with three quick goals, and the Panthers cruised to a 6-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on Monday in Sunrise, Fla. Vatrano had a goal and a career-high three assists, and Aaron Ekblad, Mike Matheson, Keith Yandle, Vincent Trocheck and Nick Bjugstad also scored for Florida. Aleksander Barkov had three assists, and Evgenii Dadonov added two.

Goalie Roberto Luongo stopped 27 shots for the Panthers, who enter the All-Star break on a three-game winning streak. Timo Meier had a goal and an assist, and Logan Couture also scored for the Sharks, who lost their third straight. San Jose plays the Capitals in Washington on Tuesday before entering the All-Star break.

San Jose goalie Martin Jones stopped 16 of 21 shots before he was replaced in the third period by Aaron Dell, who made eight saves on the nine shots he faced. After going without a shot for more than 10 minutes, Florida tallied when Barkov fed a pass to a trailing Ekblad, and the defenseman snapped in his 10th marker at 17:21 of the first period.

San Jose tied it 4:21 into the second period with relentless pressure around Luongo as the Panthers failed to clear the zone. Brent Burns zipped in a long shot from just inside the blue line, and Couture deflected it past Luongo for his 18th goal. Florida broke out in a two-on-one rush less than two minutes later, and Matheson cashed in on a pass from Dadonov by one-timing his fourth goal for a 2-1 lead at 6:07.

Meier shoved a puck past Luongo at 13:20 of the middle period to tie it at 2. The Panthers challenged for goalie interference, but the play was reviewed and confirmed, giving Meier his 19th goal. Florida regained the lead in the third period for the third time by scoring two power-play goals in nine seconds after a double-minor penalty on San Jose's Evander Kane for high-sticking Bjugstad.

Yandle fired in his seventh at 2:27, and shortly after the ensuing faceoff, Trocheck rifled in his fifth off a pass from Vatrano. Vatrano recorded his 16th goal on a backhander on a two-on-one breakaway to chase Jones from the game at 7:22 of the third. Bjugstad scored Florida's third power-play goal at 19:22.

--Field Level Media

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