Florida flurry
Panthers score 3 goals in 5 minutes to spark win over Blackhawks
SUNRISE, Fla. — Aleksander Barkov had two goals and an assist, and the Florida Panthers beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 on Saturday night.
Carter Verhaeghe added a goal and an assist as the Panthers earned their third straight win. Frank Vatrano also scored, and Anthony Duclair had two assists in his first game since Feb. 27.
Brandon Hagel and Adam Boqvist scored for the Blackhawks, which lost to the Panthers for the third time this season. Kevin Lankinen had 31 saves.
Florida grabbed control with three goals in a scoring burst in the second period.
Barkov tied it at 1 when he beat Lankinen at 7:46. Verhaeghe put the Panthers ahead to stay 11 minutes in the period, and Valtrano made it 3-1 at 12:29. It was the 10th goal of the season for each of the scorers during the decisive sequence.
Duclair, who missed six games with a lower-body injury, was thrilled to be back on the top line with Barkov.
“He’s one of the best centermen in the league; probably one of the best two-way forwards I’ve ever played with,” said Duclair, who has 10 assists on the season. “We found some chemistry early on in the season and it keeps going now.”
Barkov scored again midway through the third. The captain has 11 points over his last nine games.
Hagel scored into an open net with Bobrovsky out of position just 28 seconds into the second off a return pass from Dominik Kubalik during a 2-on-1 break. It was Hagel’s second goal.
Chicago outshot Florida during a solid first period and then early on in the second period before Florida took charge.