Huberdeau scores in OT, lifts Panthers past Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jonathan Huberdeau scored his second goal of the game with 2:31 remaining in overtime as the Florida Panthers rallied to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on Wednesday night.

Huberdeau opened the scoring for Florida and added an assist before his seventh goal of the season sealed the win. Alex Wenneberg and Juho Lammikko also scored for the Panthers.

Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho scored in the first period and Vincent Trocheck added a goal in the third for the Hurricanes, who lost for the first time in five home games.

Panthers goalie Chris Driedger made 32 saves. Carolina’s Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 33 shots.

Lammikko scored his first career goal with 7:54 remaining in regulation, giving Florida its first lead. Just 1:33 later, the Hurricanes tied the game on Trocheck’s goal against his former team.

The Panthers improved to 5-0-1 in road games, extending their best start in away games in franchise history. Two nights earlier, they handed the Tampa Bay Lightning their first home loss.

Staal’s first-period goal was his fifth score in four games. Twenty-two seconds later, Aho deflected in a pass from Brett Pesce.

The Panthers converted on a power play in the second period when Huberdeau scored with a shot from the left side. Then, Huberdeau’s pass set up Wenneberg’s tying goal early in the third period.

FAMILIAR FACES

The Panthers had defenseman Gustav Forsling back in the lineup after a nine-game absence with an upper-body injury.

He was a member of the Carolina organization from June 2019 until claimed off waivers on Jan. 9.

The Hurricanes acquired Trocheck from the Panthers in a Feb. 24, 2020, trade. This was his first appearance against his former team.

GOOD TO SEE YA

The game was the first meeting of the season between the Panthers and Hurricanes because last month’s two-game set, which was to include Carolina’s home opener, was postponed due to the Hurricanes’ coronavirus issues.

This was considered a make-up game for one of those contests.

Carolina’s 35 wins against the Panthers at PNC Arena are its most against any opponent in the building. The Hurricanes entered the game 9-2-1 in the series since 2016-17.

UP NEXT

Panthers: Florida goes to Detroit for games Friday and Saturday.

Hurricanes: Carolina hosts the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night to open a two-game set on consecutive nights.

___

More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports