Matthew Tkachuk has 5-point game as Panthers outscore Flyers

On By Littum

NHL: Florida Panthers at Philadelphia FlyersDecember 5, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight (30) covers the puck with help from defenseman Adam Boqvist (34) against Philadelphia Flyers right wing Garnet Hathaway (19) during the first period at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Sam Reinhart scored the go-ahead goal with 1:59 left and Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and four assists to highlight the Florida Panthers’ wild 7-5 road win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.

In the middle of a scramble in front of the net, Carter Verhaeghe sent a backhand pass to a wide-open Reinhart, who hammered a shot into the open net for his league-leading 19th goal to snap a 5-5 tie. .

The tally came shortly after Philadelphia’s Joel Farabee was whistled for cross-checking, setting up the decisive power play. Tkachuk’s empty-net goal with 11 seconds left sealed the deal.

Owen Tippett scored twice and Matvei Michkov had three assists for Philadelphia, which had its three-game winning streak halted. Flyers netminder Ivan Fedotov allowed two goals on seven shots before Aleksei Kolosov surrendered four goals on 20 shots in the final two periods.

The Flyers trailed 4-2 late in the second period before Tippett scored twice in 23 seconds. First, he deposited a one-timer set up by Michkov, then Tippett slammed in a rebound of his own shot to pull the hosts even with 1:56 left in the session.

Garnet Hathaway put Philadelphia up 5-4 with 14:21 left in regulation, scoring on a play in front of the net. However, Florida tied the game with 5:17 left when Gustav Forsling scored on a harmless flip from the blue line that Kolosov never saw.

Evan Rodrigues opened the scoring 2:36 into the contest, stealing the puck from Tyson Foerster and burying the puck past Fedotov. Niko Mikkola made it 2-0 less than five minutes later, and then Aleksander Barkov extended the lead to 3-0 with a power-play goal off a nice feed from Reinhart early in the second.

It was the first of six goals in the second period. Foerster and Nick Seeler scored for Philadelphia to make it 3-2 before Verhaeghe put a rebound over Kolosov’s shoulder to restore a two-goal cushion.

Florida netminder Spencer Knight made 29 saves to help the Panthers win for the fourth time in five games.

–Field-level media