GAME RECAP: Panthers 5, Oilers 1

The Panthers are a pack you wouldn’t think is capable of going more than two games without scoring with the likes of Carter Verhaeghe, Brandon Montour and their captain Aleksander Barkov in their ranks.

All three would find the back of the net in the first period.

Three goals for the Panthers in the opening 20 minutes started by Verhaeghe’s finish on a down-low play with Bennett broke a goalless streak of 126:36 for the visitors and did its part in establishing Florida’s firm first-period dominance on Saturday night.

“I think in the first period we had our chances,” Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. “I know Nuge had two Grade-A scoring chances. I think we had a couple more there, but I don’t think we defended well enough. I don’t think there was enough urgency to protect the slots. We made some mistakes and they forced us into doing that, and that’s going to be part of hockey.

“But I just didn’t like how we reacted to those and you knew were going to get a very hungry, determined team tonight after losing their previous two and getting shut out. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy and they certainly were ready to play.”

Late in the period, Brandon Montour crept down from the blueline and fired Verhaeghe’s feed from the left corner past Calvin Pickard with 1:02 on the clock to make it 2-0.

Only 29 seconds later, it was Barkov scoring to make it a three-goal game heading into the first intermission on the follow-up rebound off his deflection that came from Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s low shot.

“Obviously a sloppy game from us, especially at the end of the first there,” Hyman said. “It’s 1-0 and then we give up two within two minutes on plays that we can control. – just getting outnumbered at the net and just not defending the way we have been, so it’s a tough one. We’ve got to move past it and get ready for this New York trip.”