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11/04 21:34 CST Sandis Vilmanis has 1st 2-goal game, Panthers top Blackhawks
5-3 to cap homestand
Sandis Vilmanis has 1st 2-goal game, Panthers top Blackhawks 5-3 to cap
homestand
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) --- Sandis Vilmanis had the first two-goal game of his
career, Sam Reinhart provided a goal and two assists, and the Florida Panthers
beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 on Wednesday night to wrap up a three-game
homestand.
Seth Jones scored against his former team and Carter Verhaeghe had a goal and
an assist for the Panthers, who are 4-1-0 in their last five games and 7-3-0 in
their past 10. Vilmanis added two assists to finish with four points.
Florida improved to 9-0-1 when allowing three goals or fewer this season.
Reinhart's goal was an empty-netter to seal the win with 1:27 left.
Frank Nazar had two third-period goals and Roman Kantserov also scored for
Chicago. Ethan Del Mastro got two assists --- his first points of the season,
and the first multi-point game of his career. Connor Bedard had two assists.
The Blackhawks are 1-6-1 in their last eight games. They gave up the final five
goals in a 5-2 home loss to Colorado on Monday, then got down 3-0 in Florida
before Kantserov got Chicago on the board.
By then, the Panthers were already in full control. Vilmanis scored 4:43 into
the game, and Verhaeghe's power-play goal was assisted by Brady Tkachuk and
Matthew Tkachuk at 12:29 of the first.
Jones beat former Florida goalie Spencer Knight --- they were traded for one
another in the deal that sent Jones to the Panthers --- for a 3-0 lead in the
second.
Nazar beat Panthers goalie Jacob Markstrm on a short-handed breakaway to cut
Florida's lead midway through the third.
Vilmanis struck again with 8:59 left, restoring the two-goal edge. Nazar got
his second of the game with 3:51 left, but Reinhart scored his ninth of the
season to all but end the Blackhawks' comeback hopes.
Up next Blackhawks: Visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. Panthers: Visit the Washington Capitals on Saturday. ___ See AP's full NHL coverage here |
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