Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 shots to secure his fifth shutout this season, while Matthew Tkachuk contributed with a goal and two assists as the Florida Panthers dominated the Ottawa Senators 6-0 on Thursday night.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice achieved his 865th NHL victory, moving him into fourth place on the victory list.
“When I first started coaching, reaching 500 games seemed like a milestone, but now, with time, 500 wins became a goal,” Maurice reflected. “I find more enjoyment in coaching now than ever before.”
Other goalscorers for Florida included Nick Cousins, Dmitry Kulikov, Anton Lundell, Sam Bennett, and Sam Reinhart, leading the team to a record of 48-24-5.
“It was a complete team effort today,” Lundell commented. “Everyone contributed, including ‘Bob,’ and it resulted in a great team win.”
Ottawa’s Joonas Korpisalo struggled, allowing four goals on 17 shots, leading to Anton Forsberg taking over in relief after the second period. “There’s not much to say,” Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk admitted. “It was embarrassing.”
Florida extended their lead in the third period, with Tkachuk scoring a power-play goal to make it 5-0. The Panthers had already built a 2-0 lead in the second period, with Lundell, Bennett, and Reinhart finding the net within minutes of each other. The scoring began early in the game, with Cousins and Kulikov scoring within a minute early in the first period.
