The Florida Panthers played aggressively from the moment the puck dropped. The Cats’ persistence offensively eventually resulted in an early lead, courtesy of Russian winger Evgeni Dadonov (1-0 FLA).
Dadonov’s first of the night was assisted by Nick Bjugstad and captain Aleksander Barkov, who made a brilliant cross-ice pass for the cutting Dadonov.
The pace of play following the Dadonov goal was faster than usual. Both teams received an abundance of glorious opportunities, but the Panthers would eventually tack on another goal.
While on the man advantage, the Panthers capitalized again, with Dadonov beating superstar netminder Carey Price for the second time tonight (2-0 FLA).