The Florida Panthers lost 3-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes in a shootout Tuesday at Lenovo Center, but Brady Tkachuk scored his third goal of the preseason. Tkachuk has five points through the Panthers’ first two preseason games. Aleksander Barkov also scored for Florida.
“We got the first block of training camp done for these guys,” Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said.
Florida Panthers Take Early Lead
Tkachuk opened the scoring at 4:31 of the first period with a one-timer assisted by Sam Reinhart. Bradly Nadeau tied the game for the Carolina Hurricanes at 7:00. Barkov put the Panthers back ahead 18 seconds later with a no-look wrist shot on the rush.
“I’m not surprised,” Seth Jones said of Barkov’s goal. “We see it all the time in practice.”
Florida then faced an extended penalty-killing test at the end of the first period and the start of the second. The Panthers prevented Carolina from scoring during a five-on-three and five-on-four power play. “I know it’s preseason, but you see guys getting in the habit of blocking shots, getting in lanes, playing in front of our goalie hard,” Jones said.
Hurricanes Force Tie
Akira Schmid entered halfway through the second period for Jacob Markstrom, making his first appearance between the pipes for the Florida Panthers. Markstrom and Schmid each made 12 saves. Justin Robidas tied the game 2-2 for Carolina at 11:25 of the second period.
Brady Tkachuk did not return after the second period as a precaution. “Just precautionary,” Maurice said. “May well be on the ice tomorrow.”
Neither team scored in the third period or overtime. The Carolina Hurricanes won the shootout and took the second game of the preseason by a 3-2 score. “We won’t use much of it,” Maurice said of the game. “It’s not what those two games were for us.”
Panthers Preseason Details
Brady Tkachuk has three goals and two assists through Florida’s two preseason games. Matthew Tkachuk led the Panthers with four shots, while Sandis Vilmanis led the team with four hits. Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell each won 72 percent of their faceoffs.
“It’s really just about getting your timing right with the little plays that we make all of over the ice and getting that chemistry back from the year before,” Jones said of preseason games. Schmid offered a shorter assessment of his first appearance with Florida: “Just get the feel of playing a game again.”
What’s Next
The Florida Panthers will play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET at Benchmark International Arena. It will be Florida’s next preseason game. Fans can watch the game on PanthersPlus.tv.
FSB Take
Florida’s shootout loss included another productive night from Brady Tkachuk, who now has five points through two preseason games. The Panthers also protected an early lead, killed a five-on-three and five-on-four sequence and gave Schmid his first appearance between the pipes for the team. Florida’s preseason continues Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Source: Original report