Defense keys 3rd straight victory
Jagr has go-ahead goal, Reimer makes 35 saves for Florida.
ANAHEIM, CALIF.— If the Florida Panthers thrive on chaos — as interim head coach Tom Rowe described their recent penchant for high-scoring games — they are starting to learn how to channel it in the right way.
The Panthers delivered another offffffffffffensive outburst i n t hei r 4-1 win over t he Anaheim Ducks on Friday night. But this time, it was fueled from their defense, with Jaromir Jagr scoring the go-ahead goal in the second period and James Reimer making 35 saves for their third consecutive win.
“We want to put up big numbers, but we’re not going to do it at a cost of defense,” Rowe said. “When you have a young group and they are trying to fifigure it out in this league, those are just lessons you learn as you go along.”
Colton Sceviour had a goal, Aaron Ekblad scored on the power play and Derek MacKenzie added an empty-net goal, giving the Panthers six wins in their last seven games. Entering Saturday night’s game, Florida trailed Toronto by one point for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.
But after giving up 15 goals in their last three games, the Panthers were able to lock down on defense without sacrifificing offffffffffffense. In fact, it was a knack for heady, lowrisk plays that kept the Panthers unbeaten on the third game of their West Coast road trip.
“Our offffffffffffense came from smart plays,” defenseman Keith Yandle said. “And we weren’t high risk, we were just making the right play at the right time and I think when you do that, you’ll be on the right side of things.”
Jagr gave Florida a 2-1 lead with a moment of his ageless brilliance. He stole the puck from defenseman Josh Manson coming out from behind the Ducks’ net and calmly used a series of dekes to leave John Gibson seated on his backside before pocketing his 760th career goal.
“We f e d t h e i r o f f e n s e with our inabilit y to execute with the puck,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “They turned the game in their favor with us gifting the puck to them.”
Rowe stressed a more controlled and focused approach to defense during the morning skate, and he used a timeout midway through third period to reinforce that lesson. Afterward, the Panthers were able to balance holding offff the Ducks’ late charge and still getting into the offffffffffffensive zone.
“I think prior to that we were sitting back a little too much, giving them too much respect,” Sceviour said. “We knew they were going to push. I think we started playing a little more in their end in the second 10 and that made it better for us.”
Andrew Cogliano scored a short-handed goal and Gibson stopped 27 shots for the Ducks, who had picked up a point in 12 of their previous 14 home games.
“It’s a poised group on the bench,” Rowe said. “They don’t usually get too panicked. And that’s where Jags comes in. The veteran guys, they keep the young kids calm.”
Nigel Williams- Goss had 18 points and seven assists as the Bulldogs (28-0, 16-0 West Coast) routed the Tigers ( 10-19, 4-12) to remain the only undefeated team in Division I. Johnathan Williams had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and fifive players scored in double fifigures for the Bulldogs, whose 28-game winning streak is the longest in the nation. They have two games left in their quest to become the fifirst team since Kentucky in 2014-15 to fifinish the regular season undefeated.
Jalen Brunson had 22 points and a career-high 10 assists as the Wildcats (26-2, 13-2) clinched a tie for an unprecedented fourth straight Big East Conference regular-season title by defeating the Pirates ( 16-10, 6-8). The Wildcats used a 22-1 run bridging the halves to take command in winning their seventh straight game. Kris Jenkins added 22 points, Josh Hart had 19 and Mikal Bridges 15 for Villanova, which shot a season-high 67 percent from the fifield. Brunson led the way hitting all seven of his shots. Khadeen Carrington led the Pirates with 22 points.
Landen Lucas made two free throws with 11 seconds left and the Jayhawks (24-3, 12-2 Big 12) survived against the Bears (22-5, 9-5). Kansas has a three-game lead over Baylor with four games to play and will match the UCLA teams of the 1960s and ’70s by winning its 13th consecutive conference championship with one more win. Frank Mason III led the Jayhawks with 23 points.
Lauri Markkanen had 26 points and 13 rebounds and Allonzo Trier added 21 points as the Wildcats (24-3, 13-1 Pac-12) held offff the Huskies (9-17, 2-12). Markelle Foltz fifinished with 26 points for Washington. Late
Dillon Brooks scored 23 points for the Ducks (24-4, 13-2 Pac-12), who avenged a loss against the Buffffaloes (16-12, 6- 9). Dylan Ennis added 20 points for the Ducks, who won their 42nd straight home game — the longest active home streak nationally. The Buffffaloes trailed by as many as 36 points late in the second half.
Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points to lead the Cardinals (22-5, 10-4 ACC) past the Hokies (18-8, 7-7). Mitchell made his fifirst six shots, including three 3-pointers en route to going 8 for 13 from the fifield and 5 of 7 from the beyond the arc. Virginia Tech shot 59.2 percent from the fifield, including 65.4 percent (17 of 26) on 3-pointers. Devon Carter scored a season-high 24 points as the Mountaineers (21-6, 9-5 Big 12), playing their second consecutive overtime game, edged the Red Raiders (1710, 5-9). Keenan Evans tied a career high with 28 points for Texas Tech.
Justin Jackson scored 20 points as the Tar Heels (23-5, 11-3 ACC) overwhelmed the Cavaliers (18-8, 8-6) to remain in fifirst place in the conference standings. Isaiah Hicks had eight rebounds for North Carolina.
Luke Kennard scored 23 points and Jayson Tatum as the Blue Devils (225, 10-4 ACC) held offff the Demon Deacons ( 15-12, 6-9). Amile Jefffferson scored 16 points for the Blue Devils, who shot 59 percent and hit 13 3-pointers while extending their winning streak to seven.
Chris Chiozza scored 14 points and KeVaughn Allen added 11 as the Gators (22-5, 12-2 SEC) edged the Bulldogs (14-12, 5-9). Florida, which pulled away from a 52-all tie, extended its winning streak to eight games, the longest under second-year coach Mike White.
Caleb Swanigan had 24 points and 15 rebounds and Isaac Haas scored 18 points as the Boilermakers (22-5, 11-3) rolled past the Spartans ( 16-11, 8-6). Purdue took a half-game lead over Maryland and Wisconsin in the Big Ten standings. The double-double was Swanigan’s 23rd this season. He had 25 points and 17 rebounds on Jan. 24 when Purdue defeated Michigan State in East Lansing.
Senior Sheldon Jeter scored a career-high 29 points as the Panthers ( 15-12, 4-10) upset the Seminoles (21-6, 9-5). Jeter, who averages 7.6 points per game, also had eight rebounds. Four of his 12 fifield goals were 3-pointers as the 6-foot-8 forward showed his range. Pittsburgh led by as many as 15 points in the second half, but a 10-0 Florida State run cut the lead to two with 6:19 to play. The Panthers responded by outscoring the Seminoles 16-4 the rest of the way.
Jacob Evans III scored 13 of his 17 points while the Bearcats (24-3, 13-1 American Athletic) took control in the fifirst half against the Golden Hurricane (12-14, 6-8). Cincinnati has won 24 straight on its home court, and the win was the 300th for coach Mick Cronin. Junior Etou scored 22 points for Tulsa, which has lost a season-high six in a row.
Semi Ojeleye had 18 of his 22 points in the second half as the Mustangs (244, 14-1 American Athletic) rallied past the Cougars (18-8, 9-5). Ojeleye also had nine rebounds as SMU won its ninth straight. Rob Gray Jr. had 23 points to lead Houston, which saw its fifive- game winning streak end.
Matthew FisherDavis scored 17 points and Riley LaChance had 14 as the Commodores (14-13, 7-7 SEC) surprised the Gamecocks (20-7, 10-4). e Late