HELSINKI (AP) — Roberto Luongo was just happy to finally be back on the ice for the Florida Panthers.“It’s just nice to be back part of the team Ryan Dzingel Jersey ,” Luongo said. “It’s never fun to be on the sideline watching the game. I put in a lot of work and I’m happy I was able to play a game.”Returning from a knee injury that sidelined him since the season opener, the 39-year-old Luongo stopped 32 shots to help Florida beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-2 on Friday night for a two-game split in the Finnish capital.“That was huge for us,” Florida coach Bob Boughner said. “Watching him play so composed after being off for a month, he is a big reason why we won the game tonight.”Luongo was hurt Oct. 6 against Tampa Bay.Luongo stopped all 17 shots in the final period as the Jets pressed.“He gives us a lot of confidence and he’s telling us what to do, talks a lot on the ice and off the ice,” said captain Aleksander Barkov, who is Finnish.Keith Yandle and Evgeni Dadonov had a goal and an assist each for the Panthers. Mike Hoffman and Frank Vatrano also scored a goal apiece and Jonathan Huberdeau added two assists. The Panthers overcame an early 2-1 deficit for their first regulation victory and third overall win in the first 11 games.“Our start wasn’t very good, actually it was pretty awful Womens Tom Pyatt Jersey , our start,” Boughner said. “They tested him (Luongo) early and he was really good and I think that gave us time to get feet underneath of us and start rolling a little bit. That’s what good goalies do, they make the saves at the right time.”Coming off a hat trick Thursday night in Winnipeg’s 4-2 victory, Finnish star Patrik Laine scored again In front of a capacity crowd of 13,500 at Hartwall Arena. Nikolaj Ehlers also connected, and captain Blake Wheeler had two assists.“Overall, it’s been an unreal trip,” Laine said. “I’m going to remember every second that we spent here for the rest of my life. The atmosphere at the ring was unreal for the both games. It was a pleasure to play in front of the Finnish fans Jordan Nolan Jersey Womens , friends and family.”Yandle broke a tie on a power play with 26 seconds left in the second period, driving a slap shot past goalie Connor HellebuyckHoffman tied it on a power play at 4:59 of the second.Vatrano scored off a turnover midway through the third.NOTES: The games were part of the NHL Global Series. It was the 25th NHL regular season game played on the European continent, and the seventh in Finland. In October, New Jersey beat Edmonton Gothenburg, Sweden. Commissioner Gary Bettman said the NHL is planning to play a season-opening game in Prague and another two games in Stockholm next season. … Laine, who had 44 goals last season, had three goals in 12 games this season before adding four in the two games in Helsinki. … Hoffman has a point in each of the past nine games.UP NEXTPanthers: Open a three-game homestead against Edmonton on Thursday night.Jets: Open a four-game homestead against Colorado on Friday night. DETROIT (AP) To Jeff Blashill, the outcome came down to one simple fact.”They made one more play than us Zack Smith Jersey ,” the Detroit coach Blashill said.To Toronto center Auston Matthews, it came down to persistence.Article continues below ...”We’ve got a lot of chances the last couple of games,” Matthews said. ”We had some pretty good chances tonight, the puck just wouldn’t go in.”It was nice to finally finish it off there with a half a minute left.”Matthews scored with 30.2 seconds left to give the Maple Leafs a 3-2 victory over the Red Wings on Sunday night.James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner also scored for Toronto, and Curtis McElhinney made 27 saves.Anthony Mantha and Henrik Zetterberg scored for Detroit.Matthews took William Nylander’s pass and snapped a high shot into the roof of the net from a sharp angle for his 27th goal of the season, but just his fourth winner.”I just tried to play Nylander there,” Detroit goalie Petr Mrazek said. ”I didn’t see Matthews. It was a nice shot by him. He put it in the top corner.”Matthews had gone three games without a goal, his longest drought in a month.”Me and Willie looked at each other and said Ryan O'Reilly Jersey Womens , `Finally,”’ Matthews said. ”Sometimes you’ve just got to laugh it off and keep going out there and playing the same way. We’re good players. We’re too skilled to create all those opportunities and not capitalize on them.”It just happened to be in the last couple of seconds of the game.”Detroit center Dylan Larkin iced the puck, leading to a faceoff in the Wings end with 37.8 seconds left in the third period.It was the second time in eight games the Wings had surrendered the game-winning goal in the final minute of regulation. Florida’s Jonathan Huberdeau scored with 7.7 seconds left to give the Panthers a 3-2 verdict over the Wings on Feb. 3.Detroit coach Jeff Blashill felt his team needed to show more composure in the dying moments.”I think we can talk to each other and know that we’ve got a little more time there and make a little more poised play,” Blashill said. ”We didn’t and then they made a play on the faceoff.”Mantha opened the scoring on a power play 5:51 into the second period. Standing on the doorstep of McElhinney’s net, Mantha deflected Gustav Nyquist’s shot under the goalie’s arm for his career-high 20th goal.”Obviously, it feels good,” Mantha said. ”I don’t want to stop here, that’s for sure. I would rather get the two points tonight than that 20th.”Van Riemsdyk tied it 1:11 later. Jake Gardiner’s wrist shot from the point hit van Riemsdyk in the left leg and deflected past goalie Petr Mrazek.Toronto took the lead 18 seconds later. Marner skated across the front of the net Brian Elliott Jersey , forcing Mrazek to leave his feet before whipping a wrist shot by him.The Red Wings tied it midway through the third. Nyquist fed a quick cross-ice feed to a wide-open Zetterberg and he redirected the puck into the open side.Notes: Mrazek stopped 31 shots. …. Red Wings D Mike Green missed his second straight game due to an upper-body injury. .. Detroit D Xavier Ouellet saw his first action since Jan. 25, sitting out nine straight games as a healthy scratch. … Both teams played Saturday. Detroit is 3-2-2 in the second game of back to backs, while Toronto is 6-4-1. .. McElhinney made his first start for the Maple Leafs since Feb. 5.UP NEXTMaple Leafs: Host Florida on Tuesday night.Red Wings: Host Nashville on Tuesday night. Detroit won 3-1 in Nashville on Saturday night.
