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Eetu Luostarinen powers surging Panthers past Canadiens
Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Eetu Luostarinen notched the first two-goal game of his career, leading the host Florida Panthers to a 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night in Sunrise, Fla.

It was Florida's sixth straight win over Montreal and the Panthers' fourth consecutive victory overall.

Both of Luostarinen's goals came on the power play against Montreal, which ranked 29th in the league in penalty kill percentage entering Saturday.

Sam Bennett also scored and had an assist for the Panthers. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Aaron Ekblad each provided two assists. Carter Verhaeghe sealed the win with an empty-net goal.

Cole Caufield scored a power-play goal for Montreal.

Both goalies got their first action in 12 days.

Florida's Anthony Stolarz made 18 saves to snap his two-game winless streak. He earned his first win since Dec. 10.

Montreal's Jake Allen made 22 saves.

Florida opened the scoring with 15:55 left in the second period. Evan Rodrigues got the primary assist for his shot from the point. That shot hit Luostarinen, who had set up a screen in front of Allen. Luostarinen then spun and batted the flying puck into the net.

Montreal's power-play unit tied the score with 12:59 remaining in the second. Nick Suzuki, who blew a great chance with a shot just over the crossbar earlier in the power play, earned the primary assist. He passed the puck down low to Caufield, who scored by roofing a backhander past Stolarz.

Florida appeared to take a 2-1 lead on Verhaeghe's goal with 10:05 left in the second. But Montreal challenged the play, and the goal was wiped out due to offsides.

With 12:26 left in the third, Florida took a 2-1 lead, and this time it counted. Luostarinen, positioned just below the left circle, took a pass from Ekblad and immediately attacked the net, beating Allen with a brilliant backhand move.

The Panthers extended their lead to 3-1 on Bennett's deflection of an Ekman-Larsson shot with 4:34 left.

Verhaeghe scored his empty-netter with 2:47 remaining.

This article first appeared on Field Level Media and was syndicated with permission.

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Chicago Blackhawks reportedly set to trade 25-year-old goaltender to Stars rival, Edmonton Oilers
NHL

Chicago Blackhawks reportedly set to trade 25-year-old goaltender to Stars rival, Edmonton Oilers

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Emma Jacob Went Missing in Platteville, Wisconsin. Here's What's Known
News & Politics

Emma Jacob Went Missing in Platteville, Wisconsin. Here's What's Known

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MLB

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WNBA All-Star Game ratings paint a troubling picture
WNBA

WNBA All-Star Game ratings paint a troubling picture

WNBA players sent a message to the league with T-shirts they wore ahead of the All-Star Game on Saturday night, but the ratings for the game did not exactly strengthen their stance. Prior to the All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., Caitlin Clark and other players warmed up in shirts that said “Pay us what you owe us” across the front. The message had to do with the current state of collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the WNBA and WNBA Player’s Association. Unfortunately for the players, the television ratings for the game were not very good. Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reported on Tuesday that the WNBA All-Star Game drew 2.19 million viewers on ABC, which was down roughly 36% from a year ago. Last year’s game featured the WNBA All-Stars against the Team USA squad that was preparing to compete in the Summer Olympics in Paris. The dip in ratings is likely another example of the type of impact Clark has had on the WNBA. Although she was a team captain for this year’s All-Star Game, Clark did not play due to a groin injury. Clark played in last year’s game for the All-Star side, as she did not make the Team USA Olympic roster. Many fans were outraged that she was snubbed from the Olympic team, which added an element of intrigue to the All-Star Game. There is no way of knowing for certain whether more fans would have watched the All-Star Game on Saturday night had Clark played. It is a safe guess, however, especially when you look at some recent trends for the league.

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