Balcers' power-play goal pushes Ottawa to 3-2 win over Panthers

Rookie Rudolfs Balcers' power-play goal pushed Ottawa to a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Sunday in Sunrise, Fla., snapping the Senators' seven-game losing streak and giving interim coach Marc Crawford his first win. Balcers, acquired in the Erik Karlsson trade with the San Jose Sharks last September, scored on the man advantage after Florida's Jonathan Huberdeau went off for high-sticking in the second period.

The Latvian rookie redirected in Dylan DeMelo's shot for his fourth goal at 17:25 to break a 2-2 tie. Florida's Mike Hoffman, who played seven years with the Senators, rang the potential game-tying goal off the post with nine seconds left and Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo off the ice for the extra attacker. Zack Smith and Brian Gibbons scored goals for Ottawa, which won for the first time since a 4-3 decision against the Jets in Winnipeg on Feb. 16. The win also marked the 22nd consecutive season that the Senators have earned a win in South Florida, and the club won for the first time this season against the Panthers.

Aleksander Barkov and Troy Brouwer tallied for the Panthers, who lost their fourth straight and had their four-game overtime streak broken. Anders Nilsson made 30 saves for Ottawa, and Luongo also stopped 30 shots. Ottawa tallied first when Smith cleaned up a rebound of Jean-Gabriel Pageau's shot from the slot. Smith popped in his seventh past Luongo at 5:10. Barkov scored his ninth goal in his last nine games by deflecting in a shot by Mark Pysyk. The Florida captain's 28th marker at 9:02 tied his career-high for a season.

Brouwer jumped up and gloved down a failed clearing attempt by defenseman Thomas Chabot from Ottawa's end, then executed a perfect give-and-go with Riley Sheahan. His ninth goal at 15:36 gave Florida its first lead at 2-1. The Senators scored an even-strength goal in the second period to tie it at 2 before Balcers' game-winner. Ottawa used good zone time and pressure in Florida's zone, and Gibbons ended it by burying his third goal off a pass from Cody Ceci at 5:06 for the 2-2 tie. Florida, third in the NHL on the power play, had two man advantages in the third period, but Ottawa killed off both for the 17th time in its last 18 shorthanded situations to preserve the lead and gain the win. 

(With inputs from agencies.)