Sam Bennett scored 1:08 into overtime, leading the Florida Panthers to their ninth straight home win, 5-4 over the visiting San Jose Sharks on Saturday night in Sunrise, Fla.
Jonathan Huberdeau had the primary assist on the game-winner by Bennett, who was waiting in the slot.
Florida, which rallied from a 4-2 third-period deficit, never led until its last goal.
The Panthers got an early goal from Gustav Forsling and third-period tallies from Aleksander Barkov, Mason Marchment and Huberdeau. Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves, including a stop on a Rudolfs Balcers breakaway.
For the Sharks, Jonathan Dahlen scored two power-play goals. Tomas Hertl and Matt Nieto also scored for San Jose, but Sharks goalie James Reimer — formerly a member of the Panthers — couldn’t hold the lead. Reimer had a season-high 45 saves.
The Panthers, the highest-scoring team in the NHL, haven’t lost at home since Dec. 16 against the Los Angeles Kings. The Panthers have the league’s best home record (23-3-0).
San Jose scored the first two goals of the first period.
First, Balcers’ two-foot lateral pass along the goal-line freed Hertl, who beat Bobrovsky five-hole.
Then, on a Sharks power play, Noah Gregor got to a loose puck and dished to Dahlen, who triple-pumped from the slot before firing a hard shot. Bobrovsky was screened by San Jose’s Jasper Weatherby.
Florida got on the board with 54 seconds left in the first on a sequence that started when Sharks defenseman Brent Burns whiffed on the puck behind his own net. Sam Reinhart got the steal and fed Forsling, who scored on a one-timer from the left circle.
San Jose extended its lead to 3-1 on Nieto’s goal just 91 seconds into the second. Nick Bonino’s lateral pass found a charging Nieto, who scored from the slot.
Florida scored 86 seconds into the third on a give-and-go from Huberdeau to Barkov, who scored from the slot, beating Reimer’s glove.
Dahlen’s second goal, this one with 15:10 left in the third, gave San Jose a 4-2 lead.
But the Panthers kept coming, tying the score with two quick tallies: Marchment poking the puck in at the goal line and Huberdeau’s tap-in off a perfect Carter Verhaeghe pass.
–Field Level Media
