Panthers score 3 in 3rd, rally past Stars

DALLAS -- Aleksander Barkov scored twice and had an assist, and the Florida Panthers scored three third-period goals to rally past the Dallas Stars 4-3 at American Airlines Center on Tuesday.

Matthew Tkachuk had three assists, and Carter Verhaeghe and Brandon Montour each had two assists for the Panthers (45-17-4), who have won 14 of their past 16 games. Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves.

“There’s no halfway to play that game," Florida coach Paul Maurice said. "We went through the first 30 minutes for sure, possibly two periods of hockey, where we weren’t anywhere near… we didn’t look the way we were supposed to look, it just wasn’t right, it wasn’t hard enough. That’s all we needed in the third. It wasn’t about winning the game. The comeback’s great for the players, they get to enjoy it. But to be able to not have anything going for two periods and then get to play hard the way we need to play, that’s a really important thing to carry with you so you always know you’re never out of the game.”

Joe Pavelski, Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston each had a goal and an assist for the Stars (40-18-9), who had a five-game winning streak end. Jake Oettinger made 26 saves.

“We had a lot of good looks. Goalies played good,” Pavelski said. “You’re always trying to stick the next one in the net, and they made a few saves at times that kept us from breaking it open and extending the lead. At those moments, we did a good job to keep going and working for the next one. Just let it slip there in the third."

The Panthers scored three goals, including two 38 seconds apart, in the third period to take a 4-3 lead.

“[We talked] a lot [how] ‘This is not us, this is not good enough’. My line wasn’t good enough but, somehow, we were still in the game,” Tkachuk said. “I’ve actually played here a few times, and that’s been a similar game where we’re down in the third and found a way to win it. I knew that it was a game that was up for grabs if we came out and played well in the third, and we definitely did that.”

Barkov cut it to 3-2 on the power play at 11:09 when Verhaeghe's shot from the top of the left face-off circle deflected off him.

“I felt like we just had the puck a bit more, we were in their zone way more. More shots, more guys at the net, just more time with the puck and more confidence,” Tkachuk said of the third. “I don’t know what our problem was in the first two periods, but in the third, it was a different team.”

Sam Bennett tied it 3-3 at 14:00 when he deflected a point shot in the slot, and Barkov scored a power-play goal 38 seconds later when his centering pass went off the skate of Stars defenseman Esa Lindell to give the Panthers a 4-3 lead.

“First off, with a 3-1 lead, you can’t be taking penalties,” Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said. “We can’t give up two power plays in the last 10 minutes. That’s a good learning experience for us. If you do take penalties, you’ve got to get the job done whether it’s a big save or execution. The last one bounced off a skate, those are going to happen. There were a couple of plays before that where if we were a little sharper in our execution, maybe that doesn’t happen. Our penalty kill has been good all year, but this is a good learning opportunity for our group.”

Pavelski gave the Stars a 1-0 lead at 3:53 of the first period when he finished off a 2-on-0 breakaway with Robertson after Panthers defenseman Josh Mahura turned the puck over in the neutral zone.

Robertson made it 2-0 on the power play at 7:48 of the second period when he pounced on a rebound at the top of the crease.

Johnston extended the lead to 3-0 23 seconds later when he tipped in a shot from Mason Marchment after Logan Stankoven forced a turnover in the offensive zone.

Bobrovsky allowed more than two goals for the first time in 13 starts dating to Jan. 19 (6-4 loss to the Minnesota Wild).

“Even when we’re not playing and everything is going our way, that’s how it’s going to be in the playoffs too,” Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling said. “Every night is not going to be your best game, so I think we learned a lot that we can still win with this game.”

Sam Reinhart cut it to 3-1 on the power play at 12:52 when his shot deflected off of Johnston’s stick and floated over Oettinger’s shoulder. It was Reinhart’s NHL-leading 26th power-play goal.

“I think they were pushing, they were playing desperate, and we just couldn’t match it in the third,” Robertson said. “Not many opportunities where you’re going to go up by three goals against the best team in the League, so it’s definitely a learning experience.”

Pavelski said, “This might come at a good time. This is a great reminder of what’s ahead of us. We’re going to be in this situation again against good teams in the playoffs. You’re up by two, you’re down by one, and the game can’t change. You’ve got to look to win periods, create momentum, keep moving the game forward. We didn’t do a good enough job. We’ll look at a few clips, I’m sure. Take this as a lesson. This won’t be a low point for us for long. Look to right it and be better next time.”

NOTES: Barkov tied Pavel Bure and Olli Jokinen for the most multipoint games in Panthers history (31). … Bobrovsky is 18-2-2 against the Stars. … Reinhart scored his 31st special-teams goal (26 on power play, five short-handed) the season. Only seven players have had as many in a season in NHL history: Mario Lemieux (three times; most: 44 in 1988-89), Joe Nieuwendyk (34 in 1987-88), Tim Kerr (34 in 1985-86), Leon Draisaitl (33 in 2022-23), Dave Andreychuk (32 in 1992-93), Wayne Gretzky (32 in 1983-84) and Phil Esposito (31 in 1974-75). … Robertson has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in a nine-game point streak. … Johnston (51 points; 24 goals, 27 assists)) joined Brian Bellows (three times), Mike Modano (twice), and Glen Sharpley as the only players in Stars/North Stars history to reach the 50-point mark in a season at age 20 or younger.