By Canadian Press

Huberdeau has 4-point game, Panthers beat Canadiens 6-5

Dec 29, 2019 | 8:19 PM

SUNRISE, Fla. — Jonathan Huberdeau scored two goals in just over 30 seconds and added two assists, and Florida’s top line had a nine-point game as the Panthers beat the Montreal Canadiens 6-5 on Sunday night.

Aleksander Barkov had two goals and an assist and Mike Matheson added a goal and two assists. Noel Acciari also scored and Evgenii Dadonov finished with two assists. Sergei Bobrovsky made 37 saves.

The top line of Huberdeau, Barkov and Dadonov notched four goals and five assists.

Jeff Petry had a goal and two assists, Tomas Tatar and Max Domi each added a goal and an assist, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Shea Weber also scored. Nick Suzuki assisted on three goals. Carey Price started his seventh straight game and made 28 saves.

Acciari grabbed a loose puck and scored at 4:34 for his 13th of the season on Florida’s second shot in the first meeting between the teams this season.

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Barkov beat Price between the pads on a breakaway last Feb. 17, and added another highlight-reel effort, scoring on a sweeping, blind backhander at 6:33 for his 12th of the season and a 2-0 lead.

Tatar’s team-leading 16th goal at 13:31 put the Canadiens on the board on their first power play.

Petry and Domi scored in the first 2:12 of the second. Barkov countered with his second goal of the game at 3:41, tying the score at 3-all.

Huberdeau scored twice in a 35-second span for a 5-3 lead. His first goal at 13:30 from a poor angle caromed in off Ben Chiarot’s skate. Barkov sprung Huberdeau with a long diagonal pass, freeing the left wing for an open shot from the left circle, and the Quebec native rifled in a shot for his team-high 16th at 14:05.

Matheson sent in a shot 45 seconds into the third that hit Weber’s stick, and Kotkaniemi answered on the power play at 4:11, while Weber scored at 18:08 with the extra skater on.

NOTES: Price played for just the second time in both of back-to-back contests, going 0-1-1 against Columbus and Ottawa on Nov. 19-20. … F Jordan Weal played in his 200th NHL game. … Domi’s goal was his 100th point with Montreal and gave him a five-game goal streak, and Suzuki’s three points set a career high. … Huberdeau became the second-fastest Florida player to reach 50 points (38 games); Pavel Bure did it in 34 games in the 1999-2000 campaign. … D Aaron Ekblad returned after missing Saturday’s 5-4 win over Detroit.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: At Carolina on Tuesday.

Panthers: At Columbus on Tuesday.

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More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Bill Whitehead, The Associated Press