Anton Lundell scores OT winner, Panthers beat Senators 3-2 and jump into 1st place in East

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SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Anton Lundell scored 1:36 into overtime and the Florida Panthers beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Tuesday night to jump over the idle Boston Bruins and into the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour also scored while Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves in the Panthers’ sixth straight victory.

Thomas Chabot and Tim Stutzle scored for the Senators while Joonas Korpisalo stopped 31 shots in Ottawa’s third loss in its past four games.


Florida Panthers center Nick Cousins (21) and Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto (57) battle for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Florida Panthers center Nick Cousins (21) and Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto (57) battle for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Ekblad missed Saturday’s 9-2 Panthers win against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a lower-body injury, then promptly scored 19 seconds into his return to the lineup.

It was the second-fastest goal to start a game by a defenseman in team history, trailing Robert Svehla’s goal 14 seconds into a 3-3 tie with the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 5, 1998.

Florida extended its streak of games with two or fewer goals allowed to 11 games. Bobrovsky also extended his personal winning streak to seven games. The Panthers have won 10 of their last 11.

Ottawa finished the night with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference.

UP NEXT

Senators: Host Dallas on Thursday night.

Panthers: Visit Carolina on Thursday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl