In 1,000th game, Luongo wins to keep Panthers' playoff hopes alive

On a milestone night, Roberto Luongo made sure the Florida Panthers remained in the Stanley Cup Playoff hunt.

Luongo made his 1,000th appearance Thursday against the Boston Bruins, becoming the third goalie in NHL history to reach the mark. He then proceeded to stop 26 of 28 shots against in a 3-2 win, thereby keeping his team's postseason hopes alive.

Had the Bruins won, the Panthers would've been eliminated from playoff contention in light of a Philadelphia victory earlier in the night.

The win was Luongo's 471st, and two more are needed if Florida has any chance of playing more than 82 games; the Panthers are set to close the season with games against Buffalo and Boston.