After absorbing a big hit late in the second period, Anton Lundell stayed in the locker room did not return for the third for the Panthers. After the game, Maurice said that Lundell, who ranks fifth on the team with 36 points, sustained an upper-body injury but should be OK.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s going to be fine,\u201d Maurice said.<\/p>\n
Despite the Panthers continuing to generate most of the offense, the Mammoth managed to regain the lead when Mikael Sergachev skated through the slot and tipped a point shot from Durzi past Sergei Bobrovsky and into the right side of the cage to make it 3-2 at 11:05.<\/p>\n
After pulling Bobrovsky for the extra attacker late in regulation, the Panthers were denied what could\u2019ve been a game-altering power play when Matthew Tkachuk was whistled for embellishment after being sent flying to the ice on a clear-as-day trip from the Mammoth.<\/p>\n
Following that upsetting turn of events for the Panthers, the Mammoth pushed their lead to 4-2 when Barrett Hayton cashed in on the empty net with 56 remaining on the clock.<\/p>\n
Not going down without a fight, the Panthers, after pulling Bobrovsky again, trimmed their deficit to 4-3 with 16.1 seconds in regulation on a snipe from Verhaeghe. But even after generating a few more looks after that, the final horn sounded before they could tie things up.<\/p>\n
In defeat, the Panthers led 30-19 in scoring chances.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had lots of good chances,\u201d Verhaeghe said. \u201cVitek played an awesome game against us. It\u2019s tough. We need the points, but we\u2019re right back it. It\u2019s a lot of games in a small amount of time, so hopefully we can rebound here.\u201d<\/p>\n
THEY SAID IT<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been awesome. Such a great player. Everyone was so happy for him. I\u2019m so happy for him. He\u2019s had a lot of good looks in the last couple games and he\u2019s playing so well.\u201d \u2013 Carter Verhaeghe on Sandis Vilmanis\u2019 first NHL goal<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had that good pressure, but we should\u2019ve put more pucks to the net and someone in front, someone next to the goalie, so they can get those rebounds off.\u201d \u2013 Sandis Vilmanis on the Panthers not getting enough past Vitek Vanecek<\/p>\n
CATS STATS<\/p>\n
– Evan Rodrigues won a team-high six faceoffs.<\/p>\n
– Sandis Vilmanis recorded a team-high five hits.<\/p>\n
– The Panthers led 38-27 in shot attempts at 5-on-5.<\/p>\n
WHAT\u2019S NEXT?<\/p>\n
Back on the road they go.<\/p>\n
The Panthers will look to bounce back from their loss to the Mammoth when they travel to St. Louis for a showdown with the Blues at Enterprise Center on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n