SUNRISE — Nothing is coming easy for the Florida Panthers these days, and Thursday’s game against the Nashville Predators was no exception.
Carter Verhaeghe, coming off the birth of his first child, gave the Panthers the lead in the first but Juuse Saros stood strong and kept the Predators in it.
Nashville tied it up in the third, then won it 2-1 on a Steven Stamkos goal with 57 seconds left in overtime.
Sergei Bobrovsky, who had no chance on the Stamkos shot after getting slid into by Gus Forsling trying to defend the rush, ended with 27 saves.
Since the Panthers themselves dislodged the net, the shot that Stamkos swung toward the downed goalie counted as the game winner.
Saros stopped 30 shots and quieted the Panthers after Verhaeghe’s goal with 3:34 left in the first.
Florida went 0-for-4 on the power play in the second (Anton Lundell took a stick under his left eye drawing a double-minor) and outshot Nashville 16-5 in the middle period.
The Panthers went into the third holding the slimmest of leads with Nashville getting a couple of high-end scoring chances including one that was waved off after video review early in the period.
Florida has now lost four straight and five of its past six.
With five straight home losses, Florida has its longest losing streak in Sunrise since what would be the end of the 2019-20 regular season when the Panthers lost eight straight before Covid shut down the league.
NOTEBOOK: PREDATORS AT PANTHERS
Steven Stamkos has 83 points off 43 goals against the Panthers in 71 games — most he has scored against any other team. The former Tampa Bay Lightning captain was temporarily kept from scoring No. 43 when he had Bobrovsky on the ice and an open net in the first only to see Niko Mikkola bat it away from danger. Stamkos’ 83 points are second only to Alex Ovechkin for most against Florida.
Verhaeghe scored his 143rd goal with the Panthers, passing Nathan Horton for eighth on Florida’s all-time list.
The NHL is gearing up for the Winter Classic in Miami with the ice-making process starting in a few weeks.
GOALS OF THE GAME
Panthers 1, Predators 0 (16:26 1st): Carter Verhaeghe charges down on a 2-on-1 with Sam Bennett, scoring after settling the pass in the slot and getting Juuse Saros to commit.
Predators 1, Panthers 1 (13:41 3rd): Ryan O’Reilly jams in a rebound off a Michael Bunting shot and ties things up.
Predators 2, Panthers 1 (4:03 OT): The Predators come up with speed on the 3-man rush with Steven Stamkos finishing it.
FHN’S 3 STARS
1. Juuse Saros, Predators
2. Steven Stamkos, Predators
3. Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers
ON DECK: GAME No. 27
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS at FLORIDA PANTHERS
