Bennett’s 2 Goals Lead Panthers Past Canadiens 5-2

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – Sam Bennett scored doubly and Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves to pb the Florida Panthers past the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 connected Saturday for their 3rd consecutive win.

Aleksander Barkov, Frank Vatrano and Mason Marchment besides scored and Jonathan Huberdeau had 3 assists for the Panthers, who improved to 17-3 astatine location and 14-0 wide erstwhile starring aft 2 periods.

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Jonathan Drouin and Nick Suzuki scored for Montreal, which continued to beryllium decimated by coronavirus issues, with 16 players successful COVID-19 protocol. Sam Montembeault stopped 43 of 48 shots.

“The players showed courage,” Canadiens manager Dominique Ducharme said. “We said earlier that we would fight, and we did fight.”

Vatrano skated toward the nett and redirected a provender from Sam Reinhart for his eighth extremity to springiness the Panthers a 3-2 borderline astatine 17:30 of the 2nd period.

Floridaopened a 4-2 vantage 15 seconds into the 3rd play erstwhile Bennett deflected MacKenzie Weegar’s changeable past Montembeault for his 11th goal.

Marchment finished a 2-on-1 with his 2nd extremity astatine 13:04 of the third.

“Give Montreal a batch of credit, they truly worked,” Panthers interim manager Andrew Brunette said. “They pushed america for a period-and-a-half determination wherever it took america a small portion to get our crippled back.”

Barkov’s power-play extremity astatine 15:02 of the 2nd play tied it astatine 2. It was Barkov’s 12th goal.

Montreal went up 2-1 astatine 9:29 of the second, erstwhile Suzuki scored his seventh extremity by putting successful the rebound of Jesse Ylonen’s shot.

“Our vigor was good. A batch of guys starting their NHL careers,” Suzuki said. “We knew our lineup and everyone seemed beauteous upbeat. But it’s a batch of minutes retired determination for guys and everybody trying to marque the astir of their opportunities.”

Bennett scored 32 seconds into the crippled to springiness Florida a 1-0 lead. It was Bennett’s 10th goal.

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“It’s ne'er amusive to beryllium retired and ticker the team, but it felt large to get backmost successful the lineup and lend aboriginal and assistance the squad get a win,” said Bennett, who missed Thursday night’s triumph implicit Tampa Bay owed to a tummy bug.

Drouin tied it astatine 3:48 with his sixth goal.

Montreal guardant Jake Evans and defenseman Alexander Romanov were placed successful the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol earlier the game. The Canadiens dressed lone 11 forwards and 5 defensemen owed to having 16 players successful the protocol. There’s plentifulness of clip for them to retrieve earlier the Canadiens’ adjacent game.

Montreal was scheduled to commencement a five-game homestand connected Tuesday; the Canadiens had games against Washington, Toronto, Buffalo and Columbus postponed due to the fact that of attendance restrictions enactment successful spot by authorities officials. They won’t play present until Jan. 12 astatine Boston successful a crippled that was primitively scheduled to beryllium held successful Montreal.

Between coronavirus-related shutdowns, the NHL’s vacation interruption and the upcoming postponements, Montreal is successful the mediate of a agelong wherever it volition play lone 3 games successful a 26-day span.

LOOKING BACK

Florida won 59 games successful 2021, by acold the astir ever by the Panthers successful a calendar year. Montreal — adjacent with a tally to the Stanley Cup Final successful determination — mislaid a staggering 67 games successful 2021. This Canadiens squad is connected gait to decorativeness with the second-worst grounds successful the franchise’s storied history.

NOTES: It was the archetypal New Year’s Day crippled for Montreal since it bushed Boston 5-1 earlier 67,246 fans astatine Gillette Stadium, location of the New England Patriots, successful 2016. Florida had not played connected Jan. 1 since a 2-1 triumph astatine Buffalo successful 2006. … It was the archetypal of 4 meetings betwixt the teams this season. They don’t conscionable again until March 24 astatine Montreal. … Jonathan Huberdeau’s sister, Josiane, sang the nationalist anthems. She received a hug from her member aft she finished.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: Visit Boston connected Jan. 12.

Panthers: Host Calgary connected Tuesday.

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(© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)