Florida

Panthers Fall Behind Early in Loss to Islanders

The Panthers fell behind early and were unable to recover in their 5-2 loss on Friday

The Florida Panthers allowed a pair of early goals in their 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Friday.

The Panthers were looking for the their first three-game winning streak of the season, but were unable to recover from those early scores. A win in this one would have also given Florida back-to-back wins over New York.

Florida has struggled with consistency all season long, and it is the reason that the team finds itself with a 19-17-8 record overall in 2016-17. The Panthers have had multiple two-game win streaks, but quickly find themselves back in the loss column after that. Florida remains in the playoff hunt with 46 points, but will need a strong run at some point this season.

After only 3:48 of play, New York was already up 2-0 in this one. The Panthers would score as the game went on, but trailed all game long. Roberto Luongo had 37 saves in his 41 opportunities in Florida's net. One of the highlights for Luongo and Florida came during the second period, when New York failed to score during a two-man advantage that lasted two minutes.

All-Star Vincent Trocheck's goal in the first period cut the deficit in half at the time. Trocheck had help from Keith Yandle and Jaromir Jagr on his 13th goal of the season.

Down by two in the third period, Reilly Smith brought Florida closer with his ninth goal of the season. Smith's goal came during a power play and had assists on it from Trocheck and Yandle.

The Panthers will be right back in action on Saturday for the second half of a back-to-back. The Columbus Blue Jackets will visit BB&T Center at 7:00 p.m.

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