Finally, a Home Win for Panthers
Valeri Bure scored two goals to help the Florida Panthers end a five-game home winless streak with a 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night.
It was the Panthers’ first home victory since Oct. 9.
“There was a lot of pressure on the team with the distraction of home-ice advantage or disadvantage,” Panther Coach Mike Keenan said. “They responded well even with a goal deficit. We kept our composure and kept at it.”
Milan Kraft had two goals for Pittsburgh, which played without the injured Mario Lemieux. Rookie Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 40 shots.
Bure’s second goal put Florida ahead 4-3 with 6:39 left, and Mike Van Ryn scored a power-play goal with 4:16 to go.
“It was a big relief for our club,” Bure said. “We wanted to win and showed a lot of character after falling behind.”
The Panthers had 46 shots, their highest total of the season.
“I do not think they had that many shots on goal,” Penguins Coach Ed Olczyk said. “I know exactly the kind of [stuff] that he [Keenan] pulls. He just wanted to rub our face in it.”
Keenan didn’t see it the same way.
“We’re going to continue to preach shooting because that’s what you have to do in the NHL against goaltending that is exceptional,” Keenan said. “It’s the shot mentality.”
Columbus 4, Atlanta 2 -- David Vyborny gave the Blue Jackets a big lift at Columbus, Ohio, with his first career hat trick. The three-goal game helped the Blue Jackets end a seven-game winless streak.
Vyborny, who has seven goals, had a short-handed empty-netter in the final minute to complete his first hat trick in his 244th NHL game.
The Blue Jackets were 0-6-0-1 in their last seven games.
New Jersey 1, Toronto 1 -- Corey Schwab made sure the Devils didn’t miss Martin Brodeur.
Schwab, making his first appearance of the season in place of Brodeur, stopped 27 shots at East Rutherford, N.J.
Gary Roberts scored a power-play goal with 4:42 left to salvage the tie for the Maple Leafs. Roberts carried the puck out of the left corner and whipped a backhander past Schwab.
Chicago 2, Nashville 1 -- Jocelyn Thibault made 31 saves, and Bryan Berard and Steve Poapst scored goals for the Blackhawks at Nashville.
Thibault gave up only Scott Hartnell’s goal with 28 seconds remaining. Berard had a second-period goal for Chicago, and Poapst scored into an empty net with 1:01 left.
Berard scored his first goal of the season at 8:03 of the second period. After Poapst made it 2-0 with his empty-netter, Hartnell scored off a rebound to end Thibault’s shutout bid.
Buffalo 2, Montreal 1 -- Mika Noronen made 36 saves and Daniel Briere and Ales Kotalik scored second-period goals at Buffalo to help the Sabres improve to 5-2-1 in their last eight games. Montreal has lost six of seven while being outscored, 24-7. Captain Saku Koivu of the Canadiens made his first appearance of the season after sitting out 13 games because of a knee injury.
Minnesota 3, Calgary 0 -- Dwayne Roloson made 34 saves, including 18 in the third period, for his 12th career shutout.
The Flames, last in the NHL with 21 goals in 12 games, have been shut out three times in eight home games.
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Forward Doug Weight of the St. Louis Blues was suspended for four games without pay by the NHL for cross-checking Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin in the first period of Thursday night’s 3-2 Blues’ victory. The ban will cost Weight $180,000. Weight will sit out games against Florida on Saturday, at San Jose on Thursday, at the Kings on Nov. 15, and at the Ducks on Nov. 16.... Canadien forward Donald Audette, a former King, had a growth removed from his neck, and his doctor is awaiting test results. The growth, just below his chin, was removed Wednesday, Audette said. He said he felt a lump on his throat for several years but became concerned when it grew the last two months.