Trocheck’s shootout goal secures 3-2 win for Panthers over Flames

Florida goalie James Reimer returned from a benching in his last start and rebounded for the Panthers in a big way Thursday.

Reimer stopped a season-high 41 shots and held strong in the shootout, and Vincent Trocheck scored in the third round to help the Panthers beat the Calgary Flames 3-2, ending a two-game skid.

Reimer withstood attempts from Andrew Mangiapane and Matthew Tkachuk in the final two rounds after allowing a goal to Sean Monahan in the opening round. Florida won the session 2-1.

Reimer allowed three goals on 12 shots and was pulled by coach Bob Boughner after two periods in a 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday. He responded well, especially in the overtime, when he stopped TJ Brodie in close on a 3-on-1 after Keith Yandle fell down.

In the shootout, he kicked his right leg out to block Mangiapane and forced Tkachuk to shoot wide right to end it.

“When it comes to the shootout, it’s kind of a circus,” Reimer said. “You just try to stay out there and be patient and force them to make a harder play and hopefully they miss the net or hit you.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "When it comes to the shootout, it's kind of a circus," Reimer said. "You just try to stay out there and be patient and force them to make a harder play and hopefully they miss the net or hit you."

Trocheck skated in and beat Flames goalie Mike Smith high on the glove side — the same area where Aleksander Barkov beat him one round earlier with a backhander — and the Panthers improved to 3-4 in the shootout.

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“We blocked a lot of shots and had sticks in lanes,” Boughner said. “Our penalty kill has been pretty strong here in the second half. And Reims made some big saves on the chances as well.”

Elias Lindholm scored for Calgary late in the third period to extend the game, but the Flames lost their fourth straight.

Mike Hoffman had a goal and an assist, and Evgenii Dadonov scored for Florida, which killed three penalties in the third period. Mark Jankowski also had a goal for the Flames.

Smith had 30 saves and lost his third straight.

Both clubs entered the contest on multi-game losing streaks. Florida was blanked 3-0 by Dallas on Tuesday, marking the first time the Panthers had been shut out all season and making them the last team to be held scoreless.

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Smith blanked Florida through the 20 minutes — its fifth straight scoreless period — with a high glove save 1:20 into the game on a tipped shot by Jonathan Huberdeau.

Calgary’s Derek Ryan had a point-blank short-handed chance on Reimer in the second but was denied on a kick save. The Panthers failed to score on their ninth consecutive man advantage.

Dadonov finally broke the ice at 15:17 on a fortunate bounce for his 20th goal. Mark Pysyk sent a long, wide shot that careened off Dadonov’s thigh to give the Russian forward his second consecutive 20-goal season.

Jankowksi scored his 10th at 6:51 of the third period to tie it at 1. Florida challenged for offside, but the goal was upheld.

Hoffman scored 11:59 for his 26th goal, but Lindholm’s tip-in at 17:36 tied it at 2.

NOTES: Calgary played the third game of its four-game trip and fell to 0-1-2… Flames RW James Neal (lower body) left the game in the third period and did not return… Florida held a moment of silence to honour the one-year anniversary of the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in nearby Parkland that claimed 17 victims. Goalie Roberto Luongo, who gave an emotional pregame speech to the crowd in the team’s first home game after the incident last Feb. 22, wore a special mask in tribute to the victims… Florida scratched D Bogdan Kiselevich and replaced him on the bottom defensive pairing with Ian McCoshen.