Tkachuk scores 2 more goals, Panthers stay hot with 3-1 win over Sharks

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk scored twice for his fourth consecutive multi-point game, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots in his return to the lineup and the Florida Panthers beat the San Jose Sharks 3-1 on Saturday night.

It’s the fourth time Tkachuk has had multiple points in four straight games, his second such streak since joining the Panthers.

Aleksander Barkov also scored for Florida, which is 5-0-1 in its last six games. Bobrovsky was back after missing the Panthers’ two-game trip earlier in the week while he and his wife await the birth of a child.

The win was No. 408 of Bobrovsky’s career, breaking a tie with Glenn Hall for 11th-most in NHL history.

Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 50 shots for the Sharks, the third time in his career that he’s made that many saves. Tyler Toffoli scored with 1:26 left for San Jose to break up the shutout.

Tkachuk scores 2 more goals, Panthers stay hot with 3-1 win over Sharks | iNFOnews.ca — Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk, second from left, reacts after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Takeaways

Sharks: San Jose probably couldn’t wait to get out of Florida. This visit to the Sunshine State — which started with an 8-1 loss at Tampa Bay on Thursday — was the fifth time in team history that the Sharks went 0-2-0 in the state.

Panthers: It was, by far, Florida’s highest shot output of the season. The Panthers finished with 53 shots; their previous season-high was 38 at Columbus on Oct. 15.

Key moment

San Jose’s Luke Kunin went in alone, short-handed, with about eight minutes left. Bobrovsky made the save on the glove side with no problem, protecting a 3-0 lead.

Key stat

Tkachuk had five goals in October and November combined. He has five in the first week of December alone.

Up next

San Jose’s six-game road trip continues at Carolina on Tuesday. The Panthers start a five-game road trip Tuesday in Seattle; they will visit Edmonton in a Stanley Cup Final rematch as part of the trip on Dec. 16.