Minnesota 4, Florida 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida
Referees:
Gord Dwyer, Chris Rooney
Linesmen:
Scott Driscoll, Brian Murphy
Attendance:
10167
By Field Level Media
Rookie defenseman Carson Soucy scored the go-ahead goal and Kaapo Kahkonen won a battle between newcomer goalies as the Minnesota Wild defeated the host Florida Panthers 4-2 on Tuesday night.
Minnesota, which overcame a 2-0 second-period deficit to win its fourth straight game, also got goals from Jason Zucker, Mats Zuccarello and Luke Kunin (empty-netter). Zucker also had an assist, and Zuccarello has 24 points in 22 career games against the Panthers.
It was the second career goal for Soucy, who gave Minnesota a 3-2 lead with 15:11 left in the third period.
Kahkonen, who is 2-0-0 in two NHL starts, made 44 saves as Minnesota improved to 9-2-3 in its past 14 games.
Panthers goalie Chris Driedger, who also made his second career start, had 22 saves. His record is 1-1-0.
Florida got goals from Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. Huberdeau also had an assist.
The Panthers led 2-0 after a first period that they dominated with a 13-5 shots-on-goal advantage.
Florida opened the scoring with 9:54 expired in the first period, snapping a 1-for-19 power-play slump. After a delay-of-game penalty on Minnesota's Jordan Greenway for firing the puck over the glass, Barkov took a pass from Keith Yandle and let loose from the left circle. His shot went in just under the crossbar.
The Panthers made it 2-0 just 23 seconds after killing off Frank Vatrano's tripping penalty. Once out of the box, Vatrano and Panthers teammate Vincent Trocheck forced a turnover along the back boards. Vatrano then fed the puck to Huberdeau, who cashed in with a shot just under the crossbar, nearly identical to Barkov's goal.
Minnesota tied the score 2-2 on consecutive shots in the second period.
Zucker got the Wild on the scoreboard by stealing the puck from Mike Hoffman and then scoring at full speed with a brilliant forehand-to-backhand move 9:26 into the second.
With 12:56 expired, Zuccarello hustled after the puck at the right circle before unleashing a high shot to the short side, lifting the puck over Driedger's glove.
Minnesota took a 3-2 lead when Soucy gloved down a pass from Zach Parise and then batted a backhander through the five-hole.
Kunin's empty-netter with 61 seconds left crushed Florida's comeback hopes.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Minnesota |
|
Florida |
|
Jason Zucker 2 |
Points |
Jonathan Huberdeau 2 |
|
Jason Zucker 1 |
Goals |
Jonathan Huberdeau 1 |
|
Jason Zucker 1 |
Assists |
Jonathan Huberdeau 1 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Aleksander Barkov 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Kaapo Kahkonen .957 |
Save Percentage |
Chris Driedger .880 |
|
Kaapo Kahkonen 44 |
Saves |
Chris Driedger 22 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Minnesota
|
26 |
4 |
0-1 |
2-3 |
6 |
23 |
| Florida
|
46 |
2 |
1-3 |
1-1 |
2 |
32 |
Upcoming Games
-
Florida will play their next game at home against Columbus. The Panthers have a W/L % of .357 after a win and .615 after a loss.
-
Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Tampa Bay. The Wild have a W/L % of .417 after a win and .500 after a loss.
For more information, contact us