Ducks rally, twice, to down Panthers in OT Gibson makes 29 saves in win

In Sunrise, the visiting Anaheim’s Alex Killorn hit for a double for the Ducks’ including the game-winner with 48 seconds gone in extra time in a 5-4 win over the Panthers on Monday.

“We ended up on a 2-on-1 and Cam made a great play to find me,” Killorn told Bally Sports West after the game. “I found a seam and scored. I don’t think we were very happy with the way we played in Tampa especially once we got down in the game. To have that tonight was great.”

John Gibson made 29 saves in the win.

Anaheim moved to 15-27-1.

“I didn’t even know he was on a goal drought but he got two big ones,” Anaheim coach Greg Cronin said of Kilorn. “I thought he skated well tonight and [Carlsson] probably energized him. He is a very dynamic player and distributes the puck very well. [Killorn] and Troy Terry benefited from that.”

The Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the first period won strike by Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart.

“It was more of an open game than we wanted, but it was the style of game they want to play,” Reinhart said. “They did a better job dictating the play and how they wanted to play. We could have been a lot better, for sure. We’re not going to win hockey games like that. We’re not built for that, and we need to tighten up.”

Bennett hit at 8:29 of the opening stanza for the 1-0 lead, and Reinhart struck at 17:35  with a shorthanded marker for a 2-0 advantage.

“We can’t even keep track of them at this point,” Bennett said of Reinhart. “When they said it was his 32nd (goal this season), a couple of us looked around on the bench and said, ‘Thirty-two already?’ It is pretty impressive.”

Anaheim rallied back to tie it with two goals of their own including Killorn scoring with four seconds left on the clock in the first to trim the deficit to 2-1.

The Ducks’ Adam Henrique knotted it at 2-2 at 5:24 of the middle frame, the goal came off a shorthanded strike.

The Panthers dropped to 27-13-3.

“We had a good first period and I thought we were a little arrogant with the puck in the second,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “When you start getting beat 1-on-1, that’s a tell for something else that is going on in your game. We were not happy with the way we played. I think we’re going to leave this one right here.”

The Panthers replied to the Anaheim rally with a pair of goals.

Carter Verhaeghe scored midway through the second period to regain the lead for the Panthers at 3-2.

Bennett hit for a double at  at 12:49 for a 4-2 advantage to the Panthers.

The Ducks rallied again with a pair of goals to tie the game and force the extra session.

Anaheim’s Jakob Silfverberg struck at 14:58 of the middle frame to make it 4-3 to the Panthers.

Troy Terry then tied it, 4-4, with a  marker at 3:45 of the third period.

“It reminds me of earlier in the year when we had the belief going,” Cronin said of the comeback. “They are obviously a very good team and are probably going to be a Stanley Cup contender. To come back on a team like that was impressive.”

Anthony Stolarz made 21 saves in the loss.