The Florida Panthers closed out their schedule before the 4 Nations Face-Off break in emphatic fashion, riding a four-goal second period to a 5-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. Matthew Tkachuk continued his torrid scoring streak, notching a goal for the sixth consecutive game while adding two assists to fuel Florida’s offensive explosion.
Aleksander Barkov also contributed a goal and an assist, while Sam Bennett, Gustav Forsling, and Anton Lundell found the back of the net. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was sharp between the pipes, stopping 26 of 27 shots to secure Florida’s fifth win in their last six games.
On the other side, Ottawa’s struggles continued. Captain Brady Tkachuk, soon to be a USA Hockey teammate of his brother Matthew in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, netted the lone goal for the Senators. Goaltender Linus Ullmark made 43 saves but had little help as Ottawa suffered its third straight defeat, allowing at least four goals in each of those losses.
Ottawa has now allowed four or more goals in three straight games, a feat they previously endured only once this season in mid-November. Their defensive lapses have been costly, as they’ve been outscored 14-5 during this recent skid.
Florida’s four-goal second period marked the fourth time this season they have tallied at least four goals in a single frame. The Panthers previously accomplished the feat on, Oct. 8 (1st period vs. Boston), Nov. 30 (3rd period vs. Carolina), Jan. 25 (2nd period vs. San Jose).
Sam Reinhart assisted on Matthew Tkachuk’s go-ahead power-play goal in the second period, marking his 600th career NHL point. He joins Barkov and Tkachuk as the only active Panthers players to reach that milestone.
Matthew Tkachuk now has five career three-point games against his brother Brady. In the 11 games where at least one of them has recorded multiple points, Matthew owns the edge with nine such performances.
With the NHL pausing for the 4 Nations Face-Off, both teams will be off until Feb. 22, Senators host the Montreal Canadiens, Panthers host the Seattle Kraken. Florida enters the break on a high note, while Ottawa will look to regroup and snap its losing streak once play resumes.
