SUNRISE, Fla. _ After six-plus seasons in the minor leagues toiling for four different organizations Florida Panthers 27-year-old rookie forward Shane Harper certainly showed the patience of Job while chasing a dream.
On Saturday night in his fifth NHL game after surprisingly earning a roster spot coming out of training camp, Harper's patience paid off with his first two NHL goals to spark the Panthers to a 5-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche at the BB&T Center.
He even got into a fight late in the third period to fall one assist shy of a Gordie Howe hat trick.
The Panthers improved to 3-1-1 before embarking on a four-game, seven-day road trip on Monday that will take them to Pittsburgh, Toronto, Buffalo and Detroit. The Avalanche, who had won nine of 10, including a 6-0 preseason and a 4-0 shutout of the Lightning on Thursday, dropped to 3-2.
Leading 2-1 after two, the Panthers gave themselves some breathing room with a three-goal flurry in a span of 2:26 to secure the victory. First, Harper finished off a 2-on-1 break by one-timing a cross-ice pass from defenseman Alex Petrovic at 4:30 for his second tally of the game.
Just 51 seconds later Jonathan Marchessault, who has taken full advantage of his time on the first line while filling in for Jonathan Huberdeau, stole the puck at center ice and raced in alone before firing a missile through Varlamov for his third goal and team-leading seventh point in five games.
The Avalanche butted into Florida's fun with a rebound goal by Matt Duchene past Roberto Luongo (26 saves) at 5:37 to make it 4-2. Just 79 seconds later, Vincent Trocheck noticed Avs defenseman Erik Johnson asleep in the crease, so he swatted the unattended puck in for his third red-lighter of the season.
Trailing 1-0 after one, the Panthers finally clicked on their third power-play attempt as Jaromir Jagr patiently held the puck just below the right circle before placing a perfect saucer pass to a hard-charging Aaron Ekblad for a one-timer 1:32 into the middle frame.
Then fourth-line forward Greg McKegg lifted Duchene's stick for a clean takeaway before leading a 2-on-1 rush up ice. McKegg's pinpoint pass set up Harper for a drive-by deposit which ignited a raucous Panthers' celebration for his first NHL goal.
Harper, who scored 32 goals for the Chicago Blackhawks' AHL team in 2014-15, nearly had a goal in the first period when he found himself alone on the doorstep where he put on a series of quick dekes before flicking it off of Varlamov's glove.
The Panthers entered the game as the only team in the NHL yet to allow a power-play goal, killing off all eight man advantages in their first four games. However, with key penalty-killer Jussi Jokinen sitting out with a lower-body injury, and Jason Demers in the box for tripping, the Avs needed just 18 seconds before Blake Comeau deflected Tyson Barrie's wrist shot from just inside the blue line at 7:38.
Demers apparently atoned for his costly penalty when at 9:53 his straightaway slapper from the blue line snuck in with the help of a screen provided by Kyle Rau, who is filling in for Jokinen on the second line. Colorado's first-year coach Jared Bednar threw the red challenge flag, claiming the Panthers were offside. Indeed, Trocheck was the culprit, thus negating Demers' goal.
Luongo stymied a late breakaway attempt by Duchene, but the Panthers went 0-for-2 on their power play to trail 1-0 after an action-packed first period.
