Music: {allcanada} Wolski scores in shootout as Panthers top Habs 3-2

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

{allcanada} Wolski scores in shootout as Panthers top Habs 3-2

MONTREAL (AP)—Wojtek Wolski scored in regulation and added the only goal of the shootout to help the Florida Panthers boost their playoff hopes with a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.

Mikael Samuelsson also scored in regulation for Florida, which outshot Montreal 36-29. The Panthers ended a three-game winless streak and completed a four-game sweep of the season series with Montreal.

The win, combined with Washington's 5-1 loss at Buffalo, gave the Panthers a five-point lead over the Capitals for first place in the Southeast Division, with a game in hand.

Erik Cole and Louis Leblanc scored for the already-eliminated Canadiens, who have only one win in their last six games.

Trailing 2-1 in the third, Samuelsson tied the game with 7:12 to go when his long wrist shot sailed untouched past Carey Price.

The Panthers got on the board first when Wolski picked up a loose puck at his blue-line, skated down the right side and beat Price with a shot over his glove and off the crossbar with 6:56 left in the first.

Montreal tied it only 56 seconds later on a power play, with Max Pacioretty banking a puck off goalie Scott Clemmensen to Cole, who had an open side of the net to shoot at.

The Panthers outshot Montreal 13-4 in the middle period, but the Canadiens got the only goal as Frederic St. Denis took advantage of a turnover and sent Leblanc in alone to score only his fifth goal in 37 games.

Florida began a four-game road trip that also takes them to Minnesota, Columbus and Detroit.

Notes: Although the games are considered sellouts, there have been large numbers of empty seats at recent games in the Bell Centre. … The Panthers sat out John Madden, Krystopher Barch, Mike Santorelli, Keaton Ellerby and Jack Skille.