In Sunrise, the road continued to be a problem for the Tampa Bay Lightning after dropping a 2-1 OT decision to the Panthers Thursday night.
With the Bolts’ Tyler Johnson in the box in the extra session, Jonathan Marchessault scored the game winner on the power play.
“It was huge,” Marchessault said. “We didn’t have the success we wanted in OT and in the shootout this year, but we came out strong. It was a good overall game for us.”
James Reimer, whose wife is expecting a child, Â made 31 saves for the win.
“Everything was under control back home,” Reimer said. “I was just worried about playing the game. You never know when it’s going to come. You just want everyone, mom and baby, to be healthy. That’s the main things you worry about. When you come here, I figured that things are pretty safe at home … although maybe I should go check my cell phone. You come here and you just want to get the job done.”
The win pushed the Panthers to 21-19-10 and stopped a four-game skid.
Jussi Jokinen scored in regulation for Florida.
“Him and I talked yesterday. I thought he was putting way too much pressure on himself to get us out of this hole that we’re in and told him, ‘Go out and play your game.’ I look at him almost as an extension of the coaching staff, he’s so smart,” Florida head coach Tom Rowe said. “I’m hoping that goal will loosen up his hands and he’ll be able to relax a little bit over the break and then come back ready to really get us going.”
The Lightning’s only goal came from Nikita Kucherov.
“Some of the Grade [A chances] we have we’re not finding a way to bury them in the back of the net,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “When you get to overtime and take penalties, you’re pretty much giving the game away.”
Tampa Bay dropped to 22-22-6 and are on a skid of their own again, going 1-2-2 in their five games.
WATCH: All Panthers vs. Lightning highlightsÂ
After stopping a four-game losing streak in a win over the Chicago Blackhawks, Andrei Vasilevskiy,got his second straight start making 35 saves in the loss for Tampa Bay.