Markov scores twice as Habs beat Panthers
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Andrei Markov scored twice as the Montreal Canadiens downed the Florida Panthers, 4-1, on Tuesday.
Tomas Plekanec and Alex Galchenyuk also lit the lamp for the Canadiens, who bounced back from a season-opening loss to Toronto. Carey Price made 27 saves in the victory.
"We all played better and put the puck on the net more," said Markov. "It was a team effort and we have to continue to play the same way and have to be better."
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Tomas Kopecky supplied the sole offense for Florida. Scott Clemmensen allowed all four goals on 33 shots to suffer his first career defeat against Montreal. He entered the game with a 6-0-0 record and a 1.68 goals-against average in seven career games against the Canadiens.
Montreal took the lead just 3:26 in as Brian Gionta broke down the right side of the ice on a rush before feeding a pass into the slot for Plekanec, who finished with a wrister through the legs of Clemmensen.
The Canadiens then added to their advantage after receiving a two-man advantage lasting 1:40 following a holding penalty by Brian Campbell and a delay-of-game penalty by Stephen Weiss. Markov ripped a slap shot from the high slot past the goaltender's stick side with 6:36 left in the opening period.
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Florida received a late power play for a chance to cut into its deficit, but Filip Kuba struck the crossbar with a shot from the left point to keep it a 2-0 game heading into the second period.
The Panthers were able to get on the board with their second power play of the middle stanza as Kopecky ripped a one-timer from the right circle inside the near post at the 4:33 mark.
Montreal, however, answered with a power-play goal of its own to regain their two-goal advantage with Markov's second tally, a one-timer from the blue line that sailed through a crowd and past Clemmensen's glove just under four minutes later.
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Florida was given a golden chance to get back in the game as Montreal's Travis Moen and Brandon Prust were whistled for consecutive penalties that included six seconds of a 5-on-3, but the visitors could not convert and Galchenyuk made it a 4-1 game with 5:35 remaining in the second period with a redirection of a Prust shot from the right circle.
The Panthers were again given a lengthy power play in the third period when Ryan White was given a fighting major and a game misconduct for throwing several punches at Florida's Tomas Fleischmann after taking a hit in the corner.
But Florida did not take advantage of the opportunity despite another Montreal penalty resulting in another two-man advantage lasting nearly a full two minutes as Price stopped all eight shots he faced in the frame.
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"It was a special-teams game tonight, but we weren't good," Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said. "If you give up that many chances against a team with speed, you're going to have them capitalize."
Game Notes
Florida went 1-for-8 on the power play ... The Canadiens were 2-for-6 with the man advantage ... Max Pacioretty and Raphael Diaz each had a pair of assists for Montreal ... Galchenyuk netted his first career goal.