Boqvist nets 2 in 3rd period as Panthers beat Utah 4-1

By ALEX VEJAR The Associated Press

Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) moves the puck against Utah Hockey Club center Nick Bjugstad (17) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Melissa Majchrzak]

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jesper Boqvist scored twice in the third period and the Florida Panthers beat the Utah Hockey Club 4-1 on Wednesday night.

Sam Reinhart and Eetu Luostarinen each had a goal for the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Matthew Tkachuk finished with two assists, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves.

Boqvist scored at 1:48 of the third to make it 2-0, then again at 17:59 from his own end into an empty net to make it 3-1. Luostarinen added another empty-netter with 22 seconds remaining.

Reinhart opened the scoring at 1:05 of the second. It was his 67th power-play goal for the Panthers, passing Scott Mellanby for second place in franchise history.

Utah got on the board at 13:41 of the third with Logan Cooley’s power-play goal, assisted by Clayton Keller and Mikhail Sergachev.

Karel Vejmelka stopped 29 shots for Utah.

Two skirmishes broke out in the third period between the teams, and players had to be separated by the officials.

Takeaways

Panthers: Improved to 13-7-1 on the road, bettering their 12-8-1 mark at home.

Utah: Lost for the seventh time in eight games.

Key moment

Florida all but secured the victory with the empty-net goal by Boqvist late in the third.

Key stat

It was a physical game, as the teams combined for 14 penalty minutes and 60 hits.

Up next

Utah hosts the San Jose Sharks on Friday, and the Panthers host the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL