In Sunrise, Florida, Brad Marchand celebrated his Florida Panthers debut by assisting on Sam Bennett`s game-winning goal, scored with 41.1 seconds remaining in overtime. This secured a 2-1 victory for the Panthers over the Utah Hockey Club on Friday night.
Bennett scored both goals for Florida, including one in the second period assisted by Mackie Samoskevich and Aleksander Barkov. Utah tied the game early in the third period with a goal from Sean Durzi, his third of the season.
This win propelled Florida back to the top of the Atlantic Division with a 44-25-3 record and 91 points, one point ahead of Toronto and two ahead of Tampa Bay. All three teams have 10 games left, and Florida is scheduled to play these rivals three times – twice against Toronto and once against the Lightning – as the season winds down.
During the first period, the Panthers honored Utah forward Kevin Stenlund, continuing their practice of recognizing former players returning to Florida after winning last year`s Stanley Cup with the team. Stenlund was shown a video tribute and received an ovation in the first period, acknowledging the crowd with a wave.
Stenlund received his Stanley Cup ring in early January when the Panthers played in Utah.
