Stolarz makes 34 saves, Panthers hold off Ducks

Stolarz showcased his exceptional skills with back-to-back saves against Ryan Strome, who attempted to score immediately after leaving the penalty box in the second period. Stolarz denied Strome’s breakaway at 2:06 and swiftly blocked his subsequent try just a second later.

Midway through the second period, Stolarz once again demonstrated his prowess with two saves against Adam Henrique on short-handed breakaways.

“Let’s face it, we were not at our best in the first couple of periods. We were fortunate that the score was only 2-0,” Cronin admitted. “We faced two breakaways during our penalty kill, and if it weren’t for our strong penalty play, the outcome could have been very different.”

The Florida Panthers welcomed two of their top four defensemen, Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad, back into the lineup after offseason shoulder surgeries.

“Rehabbing alongside Ekblad made the journey much more bearable,” Montour shared. “Having someone with the same injury, going through the same recovery process, and ultimately making our season debuts together made all the difference.”

Additional Information: The Florida Panthers celebrated their 1,000th franchise victory. … Gibson’s 441st game with the Ducks tied Guy Herbert for the second-most games played by a goalie in team history. … Former Panthers player Radko Gudas, now with the Ducks, recorded two shots on goal in his first game against his former team. … Panthers forward Sam Reinhart’s impressive six-game point streak came to an end (five goals, eight assists).