OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) - The Florida Panthers beat up the Senators on a night when Ottawa was already playing with heavy hearts.
Jared McCann had a goal and two assists to lead Florida over the Senators 7-2 on Tuesday as Ottawa captain Erik Karlsson sat out following the death of his son.
The team announced the death of Karlsson’s son before the game. Erik and Melinda Karlsson were married last year and announced in November they were expecting their first child in the spring. The team released a statement offering its “collective thoughts and prayers” and requested privacy for the family.
Keith Yandle, Nick Bjugstad, Evgeni Dadonov, Jamie McGinn and Frank Vatrano each had a goal and an assist for Florida. Colton Sceviour had the other goal while James Reimer made 33 saves.
“Nice to get seven different scorers spread throughout the lineup,” Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. “There’s not too many games this year where we can relax a little bit in the third period and roll our bench.”
Patrick Sieloff and Marian Gaborik scored for the Senators, who lost their second straight. Craig Anderson started in goal but was replaced by Mike Condon after allowing four goals on 17 shots. Condon made 19 saves.
Florida had a 6-2 advantage after two periods. The Panthers led 2-1 after an opening frame that was broken into two parts as the final 2:10 was played after the ice was resurfaced and just before the start of the second. Both teams were sent to their dressing rooms at 17:50 as the ice crew worked to repair a broken pane of glass in the Senators’ end. Before that, Sceviour gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead at 2:36 as he tipped a point shot past Anderson.
Sieloff tied it at 12:48. His point shot hit the end boards, bounced back over the net and struck the crossbar before hitting Reimer in the back and going in.
The goal was the second in two career games for Sieloff. He scored April 9, 2016 while with the Calgary Flames, the team who drafted him 42nd overall in 2012.
“Overall we didn’t have our best game but that was nice to get that goal, but it wasn’t a good game,” Sieloff said. “There were a couple of defensive breakdowns and couple bounces didn’t go our way and it went downhill from there.”
NOTES: Ryan Dzingel didn’t play for Ottawa while Alexander Petrovic, Connor Brickley, Radim Vrbata and Maxim Mamin were Florida’s scratches. … Panthers D Keith Yandle played in his 704th consecutive game, the longest current streak in the NHL.
UP NEXT
Panthers: Concluded a three-game trip in Columbus on Thursday night.
Senators: Host Edmonton on Thursday night.
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