Carter Verhaeghe’s goal, assist lead Panthers over Predators
By JIM DIAMOND
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Carter Verhaeghe scored a goal and added an assist to give the Florida Panthers a 4-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Monday night.
Sam Reinhart scored and Brandon Montour and Matthew Tkachuk added empty-net goals for Florida, which snapped a four-game losing streak. Anthony Stolarz made 27 saves. Sam Bennett added three assists.
Jeremy Lauzon scored and Juuse Saros made 34 saves for the Predators, who have lost three of four.
Reinhart scored the game’s first goal with 8:41 remaining in the second period.
Just four seconds after Nashville’s Yakov Trenin was sent to the penalty box for an offensive zone tripping penalty, Reinhart beat Saros on Florida’s 22nd shot on goal of the game.
The goal was Reinhart’s career-high 34th of the season. Reinhart extended his point streak to 10 games, one shy of his career high. Over his current streak, Reinhart has 11 goals and three assists.
Lauzon drew Nashville even 57 seconds later with a wrist shot from the high slot through traffic that slipped by Stolarz.
Colton Sissons assisted on Lauzon’s goal, extending his assist streak to three games.
Verhaeghe, skating in his 300th career game, scored at 1:11 of the third with a wrist shot from the high slot that beat Saros on the stick side.
Stolarz’s best stop came at 7:26 of the third when he denied an unchecked Gustav Nyquist all alone in the low slot with the Predators on a power play.
UP NEXT
Panthers: Host Arizona on Wednesday.