Doing just enough to get by

Panthers win despite goalie Saros’ heroics

SUNRISE — Chris Driedger stopped 21 shots, Aleksander Barkov and Anthony Duclair scored, and the Florida Panthers dominated the Nashville Predators in a 2-0 victory Saturday.

Nashville’s Juuse Saros stopped 47 of 48 shots, but the Predators couldn’t solve Driedger, making his first start since March 7.

“Those games when the other goalie is putting on a show can get a little dicey,” Driedger said. “You have to make sure you’re sharp. I saw the pucks that came my way and it ended up working out.”

Saros tied his career high for saves Saturday after stopping 42 shots Thursday in a 2-1 win over Florida.

“I felt like I was playing my own game,” he said. “I was seeing the pucks well and there were some good blocks in front of me. The [Barkov] goal was a tough one to give up. We gave it a good effort.”

Barkov scored on a spectacular play midway through the game, knocking down a airborne puck at chest level with the handle of his stick, then skating around to the right side and backhanding a shot past Saros into the top shelf of the net 9 minutes, 15 seconds into the second period for his 13th goal.

Duclair added an empty-netter with 15 seconds left. Nashville beat the Panthers

2-1 on Thursday, but Florida improved to

9-0-1 following a loss this season. Duclair and MacKenzie Weegar assisted on Barkov’s goal, and Weegar stretched his career-best points streak to seven games.

Florida stayed relentless in the offensive zone throughout for first 40 minutes, winning puck battles and keeping Nashville under continual pressure. The Panthers had a chance at the equalizer on Nick Cousins’ pointblank shot shortly after Barkov’s goal, but Driedger grabbed it out of midair.

The Panthers dominated the first period with a 22-7 shot advantage. Six of those attempts came during a four-minute roughing penalty to the Predators’ Mathieu Olivier.

“It was one of those games where we looked like we’re throwing everything but the kitchen sink,” Florida coach Joel Quenneville said. “Whether it was a save or unable-to-score race, I don’t think we deviated from how we were going about our game.”