Roberto Luongo made 29 saves to help lead the Florida Panthers to a 2-1 road win over the New York Islanders at Barclays Center Wednesday night.
The Panthers got goals from Keith Yandle and Jason Demers to earn the victory while Nick Leddy scored the only goal for the Islanders.
Florida took the lead for good just 1:09 into the second period then played a smart but conservative road game in the third period to hang on the victory.
The Islanders played another inconsistent game as they lost for the third straight time by a 2-1 margin. The Isles were slow early in the game and failed show up for long stretches of the second period. By the time they finally got some quality scoring chances in the final 12 minutes of the game, it was too late to get the equalizer past Luongo.
First Period
The Panthers had the best of the play early. Keith Yandle broke the ice at 5:47 when he scored on a long rebound of a shot by Jared McCann. Two Isles defensemen had a chance to get to the loose puck but failed to clear it out of harm’s way.
The Islanders picked up their play as the period progressed and tied the game on a goal by defenseman Nick Leddy at 10:47. Roberto Luongo was screened on the play by Casey Cizikas. The Isles grabbed the momentum and finished the period strong, but the teams entered the locker room tied 1-1 at the first intermission.
Second Period
Florida took control of the game in the second period and outshot the Islanders 16-6. The road team had the better of the chances and controlled the tempo for most of the middle stanza.
The Panthers scored the only goal of the period when Jason Demers’ shot from the point beat Thomas Greiss. The Panthers had traffic in front to screen the Islanders goalie on the play.
Third Period
Both teams came out slowly in the third period and neither team managed a shot on goal for the first 7:17.
The Islanders turned it on late and outshot the Panthers 12-1 in the final 20 minutes, but Luongo made several big saves late in the game to allow the visiting team to hold on for the victory.
Scoring Summary
First Period
FLA – Keith Yandle (3) assisted by Jared McCann and Vincent Trocheck
NYI – Nick Leddy (6) assisted by Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck
Second Period
FLA – Jason Demers (8) assisted by Jonathan Marchessault and Jussi Jokinen
Third Period
No Scoring
THW Three Stars:
First: Roberto Luongo (29 saves)
Second: Jason Demers (Game-winning goal)
Third: Keith Yandle (Goal)
Next Up
New York Islanders vs Florida Panthers
BB&T Center, 7:30 PM EST Friday January 13, 2017
Broadcast Channels: MSG-Plus; Fox Sports Florida
2016-17 Season Series: November 12, 2016, Florida 3, New York Islanders 2 (OT); January 11, 2017, Florida 2, New York Islanders 1
