Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) moves the puck against Utah Hockey Club center Nick Bjugstad (17) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jesper Boqvist scored twice in the third period and the Florida Panthers beat the Utah Hockey Club 4-1 on Wednesday night.
Sam Reinhart and Eetu Luostarinen each had a goal for the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Matthew Tkachuk finished with two assists, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves.
Boqvist scored at 1:48 of the third to make it 2-0, then again at 17:59 from his own end into an empty net to make it 3-1. Luostarinen added another empty-netter with 22 seconds remaining.
Reinhart opened the scoring at 1:05 of the second. It was his 67th power-play goal for the Panthers, passing Scott Mellanby for second place in franchise history.
Utah got on the board at 13:41 of the third with Logan Cooley’s power-play goal, assisted by Clayton Keller and Mikhail Sergachev.
Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) fights for the puck against Utah Hockey Club center Nick Schmaltz (8) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Karel Vejmelka stopped 29 shots for Utah.
Two skirmishes broke out in the third period between the teams, and players had to be separated by the officials.
Takeaways
Panthers: Improved to 13-7-1 on the road, bettering their 12-8-1 mark at home.
Utah: Lost for the seventh time in eight games.
Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov looks on from the ice during the warmups of an NHL hockey game against the Utah Hockey Club, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Key moment
Florida all but secured the victory with the empty-net goal by Boqvist late in the third.
Key stat
It was a physical game, as the teams combined for 14 penalty minutes and 60 hits.
Up next
Florida Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis (26) fights for the puck against Utah Hockey Club left wing Lawson Crouse (67)during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Utah hosts the San Jose Sharks on Friday, and the Panthers host the Boston Bruins on Saturday.
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) saves the puck from the shot against the Utah Hockey Club during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola (77) moves the puck against the Utah Hockey Club during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)Utah Hockey Club center Liam O’Brien (38) slams Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (7) into the boards going after the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)Utah Hockey Club center Logan Cooley (92) looks to pass the puck against the Florida Panthers during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) defends as center Carter Verhaeghe (23) can bring the puck up the ice against Utah Hockey Club defenseman Ian Cole (28) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)Utah Hockey Club right wing Dylan Guenther (11) gets tangled up with Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) moves the puck up the ice against the Utah Hockey Club during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)Utah Hockey Club center Kevin Stenlund (82) fights for the puck against Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling (42) moves the puck against Utah Hockey Club left wing Lawson Crouse (67) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
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