SUNRISE, Fla. _ Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo thought he was going to relax on the bench with his feet up for the second consecutive game until James Reimer's wife April decided Tuesday morning was the right time to give birth to Nevaeh Adelyn May.
For awhile Luongo probably would've preferred the night off, but the All-Star break seemed to awaken the Panthers' comatose offense. It took a stickhandling gaffe by Ottawa Senators goalie Mike Condon, who all but handed Jonathan Marchessault the go-ahead goal to lift the Panthers to a 6-5 victory Tuesday at the BB&T Center.
Marchessault also potted the game-winning goal in Thursday's 2-1 overtime victory over the Lightning as the Panthers improved to 2-0 on this staggered, 15-day, four-game homestand that continues Friday against the Ducks and then on Feb. 9 following a four-day bye break. The second-place Senators had been 4-0-2 in their last six games, but the loss allowed Florida to creep within four points of Ottawa.
Still, the Panthers needed Jason Demers' empty-net goal with 35 seconds, the fourth scored by Florida defensemen, left to secure the win as Derick Brassard scored with 11 seconds left and the Senators' net still empty to scare the fans. The six goals were a season-high for Florida.
Rookie defenseman Mike Matheson notched his first multiple-goal game and defenseman Mark Pysyk added another. So Luongo (36 saves), who had lost four in a row (0-3-1), finally recorded career victory No. 450 despite giving up four or more goals in three of his last five.
Tied at 4-4 after two wide-open periods between two fresh Atlantic Division rivals, Condon, who tied a franchise record with his 25th consecutive appearance, mishandled the puck behind his net. Marchessault poked it away and slid it into the vacated net with 6:03 remaining for his 15th goal.
The Panthers blew a pair of one-goal leads in a wild first period before trailing 3-2 after one. Just 2:24 in, Matheson took a self-pass off the sideboards before skating around the Senators' defense. His initial shot was stopped by Condon but the rebound caromed off the skate of Ottawa defenseman Chris Wideman.
Jaromir Jagr, who took a swipe at the puck but missed, was originally credited with the goal. A slumping Nick Bjugstad, who coach Tom Rowe placed on a line at left wing with Jagr and Jared McCann in an attempt to kick-start his injury-prone season, notched the secondary assist for his third point in 23 games.
The Panthers, who continue to cough up leads in a hurry, were victimized on an odd-man rush when Kyle Turris crossed it to Ryan Dzingel for a snap shot past Luongo at 4:58.
Just 24 seconds later the Panthers retook a 2-1 lead as the fourth line clicked on a tic-tac-toe sequence capped off by pass from center Derek MacKenzie to Pysyk for a tap in.
Back came the Senators and Dzingel again, this time tucking in a rebound after Matheson lost sight of the puck and him. While skating 4-on-4, the Senators took a 3-2 lead into the locker room after Michael Sgarbossa lost his man long enough for Wideman to fire a rising rocket over Luongo with 30 seconds left.
The pinball game continued in the second period as Sens All-Star defenseman Erik Karlsson blasted in a long rebound past a screened-out Luongo at 2:19. Just 18 seconds later, the Panthers countered when Colton Sceviour was in the right spot for a foruitous rebound off the end boards from a shot by Demers.
Sceviour, demoted to the fourth line, scored his sixth goal to snap a 39-game goal drought, dating back to his hat trick on Oct. 30 against Detroit. At 9:53, Matheson launched a slapper from inside the blue line for his first career multi-goal game, and fifth goal, to forge a 4-4 tie.
