Games like the one the Anaheim Ducks played Tuesday night will do quite a bit to stir local interest in an up-and-coming team. Unfortunately for the Florida Panthers, it came at their expense.
The Ducks stood right with the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions on Tuesday, turning a close game into a rout and running away with a 7-3 win at Honda Center.
The game ended way after midnight on Wednesday in South Florida so, this loss does not affect the Panthers a whole lot.
That does not mean Paul Maurice was thrilled with the outcome.
“At 3-3, it’s a game, probably even at that point,’’ Maurice said. “We wouldn’t like what happened after three. … There were some 1-on-1 plays that were nowhere near the standard that we have and we spent way too much time in the penalty box on soft penalties.’’
But it should do wonders for the Ducks who have been rebuilding the past few years and have won the first eight of 12 games under new coach Joel Quenneville.
The Panthers had a three-game point streak ended — a run which included a 3-2 shootout loss to the Ducks last Tuesday in Sunrise.
Anaheim has won four straight and six of seven.
On Tuesday, one of their bright young stars had a big night against the Panthers with Cutter Gauthier scoring Anaheim’s first three goals with two coming off the power play.
Florida matched goals with the Ducks throughout the first two periods with Brad Marchand tying it at 1 on a breakaway early in the first; Evan Rodrigues tied it at 2.
Eetu Luostarinen gave the Panthers their first lead over Anaheim this season in the second period, but Anaheim kept coming.
And coming.
Anaheim held a lead after the first and second period, then scored three in the third to blow things wide open.
“We expect to get everybody’s best,’’ Maurice said. “It’s just a factor.’’
NOTEBOOK: PANTHERS at DUCKS
Rodrigues left the game in the third period after taking a shoulder to the head from Anaheim’s Leo Carlsson; Carlsson was given a 5-minute major and ejected from the game. Rodrigues did return to the game.
This is the Panthers’ first regulation loss to the Ducks since 2019.
Sam Reinhart’s four-game goal streak came to a close.
Florida ran with the same lineup it did in Saturday’s shootout win against Dallas, scratching both Luke Kunin and Uvis Balinskis.
GOALS OF THE GAME
Ducks 1, Panthers.0 (3:09 1st): Cutter Gauthier gets things going for the Ducks, scoring from the slot.
Panthers 1, Ducks 1 (10:14 1st): Brad Marchand comes out of the penalty box, steals the puck from Jackson LaCombe and drives in on Lukas Dostal.
Ducks 2, Panthers 1 (15:17 1st PP): Gauthier scores his second of the night, this one on a one-timer from the right circle.
Panthers 2, Ducks 2 (5:21 2nd): Mackie Samoskevich forces a turnover in the neutral zone, feeds Evan Rodrigues for the breakaway.
Panthers 3, Ducks 2 (10:37 2nd PP): Rodrigues sends a sharp backhanded shot into the slot where Eetu Luostarinen is camped out in front of the net.
Ducks 3, Panthers 3 (15:36 2nd PP): Guess who? It’s Gauthier from the right circle again.
Ducks 4, Panthers 3 (17:19 2nd): Nikita Nesterenko gives Anaheim a lead back that it would not give up.
Ducks 5, Panthers 3 (11:43 3rd): Jacob Trouba cleans up a loose puck in front of Sergei Bobrovsky.
Ducks 6, Panthers 3 (13:21 3rd): Chris Kreider deflects a Nesterenko shot from down low and a close game is no longer.
Ducks 7, Panthers 3 (14:47 3rd): Jansen Harkins whacks at his own rebound from down low.
FHN’S 3 STARS
1. Cutter Gauthier, Ducks
2. Nikita Nesterenko, Ducks
3. Evan Rodrigues, Panthers
ON DECK: GAME No. 14
FLORIDA PANTHERS at LOS ANGELES KINGS
When: Thursday, 10 p.m.
Where: Crypto Center, Los AngelesÂ
National Streaming Only: ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu
Radio: WQAM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
Last Season: Tied 1-1
This Season — At Los Angeles: Wednesday. At Florida: Dec. 17.
All-time Regular Season Series: Los Angeles leads 27-16-0, 3 ties
Up Next for the Panthers: Saturday at San Jose Sharks, 10 p.m.
