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National Hockey League
Arizona 4, Florida 3
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees: Gord Dwyer, Garrett Rank
Linesmen: Bryan Pancich, Andrew Smith
Attendance: 11912

Nick Cousins, Alex Galchenyuk and Vinnie Hinostroza scored in a shootout as the host Arizona Coyotes won their fourth straight game, defeating the Florida Panthers 4-3 on Tuesday night.

Jonathan Huberdeau scored for the Panthers in the shootout, but Coyotes goalie Darcy Kuemper stopped Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, and that was the difference in a wild game.

Arizona hit the post three times in the final two frantic minutes of regulation, failing to score each time. Both Kuemper and Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo made spectacular saves in overtime.

Both teams are getting used to such drama. The Panthers won in overtime on Monday, beating the host Colorado Avalanche 4-3 on a goal by Aaron Ekblad. The Coyotes have gone past regulation in three of the four games during their winning streak.

The Coyotes were led by Derek Stepan, who had two goals, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who had one. Stepan's second goal came short-handed and tied the score 3-3 with 6:29 left in the third.

Kuemper is 7-0-1 in his past eight starts, and the 28-year-old has a career-best 18 wins this season.

The Coyotes are 7-2-0 in their past nine games.

Florida, which had a two-game win streak snapped, got goals in regulation from Mike Hoffman, Jamie McGinn and Barkov. Hoffman leads the Panthers with 28 goals. McGinn, a former Coyotes forward, scored his second goal in four games after missing the first four months of the season following back surgery.

Barkov, who was named the NHL's second star of the week on Monday, has seven goals and six assists in his past six games.

Panthers goalie James Reimer was forced to leave the game just 32 seconds into the second period due to an unspecified injury. He made 10 saves in the game and departed with the contest still scoreless.

The Panthers were already a bit short-handed. Among players who are not believed to have long-term injuries are defensemen Mike Matheson and MacKenzie Weegar and forwards Denis Malgin, Derek MacKenzie and Colton Sceviour.

The Panthers recalled defenseman Riley Stillman, 20, who made his NHL debut. His father, Cory Stillman, was a forward who won two Stanley Cups in a 17-year NHL career, playing for the Panthers from 2008 to 2011.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Florida   Arizona
Troy Brouwer 2 Points Derek Stepan 2
Aleksander Barkov 1 Goals Derek Stepan 2
Troy Brouwer 2 Assists Josh Archibald 1
N/A Power Play Goals Oliver Ekman-Larsson 1
N/A Short Handed Goals Derek Stepan 1
James Reimer 1.000 Save Percentage Darcy Kuemper .889
Roberto Luongo 27 Saves Darcy Kuemper 24
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Florida 27 3 0-1 4-5 10 30
Arizona 40 4 1-5 1-1 2 36
Upcoming Games
  • Arizona will play their next game at home against Vancouver. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .455 after a loss.
  • Florida will play their next game on the road against Vegas. The Panthers have a W/L % of .464 after a win and .441 after a loss.