TAMPERE, Finland — AJ Greer netted his inaugural goal for the Florida Panthers early in the third period, contributing to the team’s 4-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday. Aleksander Barkov and Niko Mikkola provided assists in their home country, helping Florida secure a two-game sweep in Finland this weekend.
Sam Reinhart, Evan Rodrigues, and Matthew Tkachuk also found the net for the Panthers, marking their fifth consecutive win. Reinhart’s performance included an assist, making him the second player in the NHL to reach 20 points this season, and he closed the game with an empty-net goal.
For Dallas, Matt Duchene and Evgenii Dadonov each scored within 34 seconds of each other during the second period. This unfortunate result marked the first time this season that the Stars have experienced back-to-back losses.
In goal, Spencer Knight recorded 23 saves for Florida, while Casey DeSmith stopped 20 shots for the Stars.
**Key Takeaways**
Stars coach Peter DeBoer remains with 619 career victories, just one win away from tying Bryan Murray for 20th place on the all-time list. Notably, DeBoer achieved 103 of his wins while coaching the Panthers.
For the Panthers, Reinhart (10 goals, 11 assists) has reached more points than any other Florida player through the first 13 games of the season, surpassing the previous 13-game record of 17 points achieved by Reinhart himself last season, along with Matthew Tkachuk in 2022-23 and Jonathan Huberdeau in 2020-21.
**Key Moment**
Greer’s go-ahead goal at 2:32 into the third period was assisted by Tomas Nosek, marking Nosek’s first point with Florida.
**Key Stat**
A total of seven Finnish players participated in the series, with four representing Florida and three from Dallas, collectively contributing 11 points. Panthers’ captain Aleksander Barkov led the charge with four points, while Mikkola from Florida and Esa Lindell from Dallas each added two. Also contributing with a point were Florida’s Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, as well as Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen.
**Up Next**
The Stars are set to host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, embarking on a journey that sees them play three consecutive games across as many countries. After Finland on Saturday, they will head to the U.S. on Thursday and then travel to Winnipeg, Canada, on November 9.
The Panthers will kick off a five-game homestand on Thursday against the Nashville Predators.
