ANAHEIM, Calif. — In an exciting match on Tuesday night, Sam Reinhart broke his goal-scoring slump, leading the Florida Panthers to a 5-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.
Carter Verhaeghe contributed with a goal and an assist, helping the Panthers secure points in their tenth consecutive encounter against the Ducks.
Evan Rodrigues, Sam Bennett, and Uvis Balinskis also found the back of the net for Florida, while Mackie Samoskevich and Tomas Nosek each recorded two assists. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 crucial saves during the game.
Anaheim’s scoring came from Frank Vatrano and Mason McTavish, with goaltender Lukas Dostal stopping 24 shots against the Panthers.
Reinhart notched his 28th goal of the season in the first period at 8:58, receiving a pass from Matthew Tkachuk before deftly backhanding the puck past Dostal. This goal tied Reinhart with Toronto’s William Nylander for second place in league scoring.
For the Panthers, Bobrovsky continued to excel against Anaheim, boasting a perfect 5-0 record, accompanied by a 2.36 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage since joining the team before the 2019-20 season.
On the Ducks’ side, Trevor Zegras made his return after a 22-game absence due to knee surgery for a torn meniscus. He had been sidelined since a December 4 injury late in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Zegras took up the left wing position on the second line, playing alongside Leo Carlsson and Alex Killorn.
A pivotal moment in the game came when Verhaeghe intercepted a puck from Anaheim defenseman Jacob Trouba behind the Ducks’ goal. He then fired a shot into the upper right corner of the net, extending the Panthers’ lead to 3-1 with just 1:11 remaining in the first period. Florida has managed to score three goals in the first period four times this season, second only to Tampa Bay and Ottawa, who have achieved this five times.
In terms of milestones, Troy Terry assisted on Vatrano’s opening goal of the night, marking Terry’s 265th career point. This achievement allowed him to surpass both Adam Henrique and Scott Niedermayer to secure the 10th position on the franchise’s all-time scoring list.
Looking ahead, the Panthers are set to face off against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, while the Ducks will host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.
