Ekblad scores lone goal as Panthers shut out Lightning

Roberto Luongo records his 69th career shutout and Aaron Ekblad scores late in the third to seal Florida's 1-0 win over Tampa Bay on Monday night.

SUNRISE, Fla. — Aaron Ekblad scored with 20.2 seconds left to give the Florida Panthers a 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night.

Ekblad shot from the point and the puck bounced in off a defenceman over the shoulder of goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy into the net.

Roberto Luongo stopped 39 shots for his 69th career shutout. Luongo tied Glenn Hall for eighth all-time in wins with 407. The Panthers beat the Lightning for the second time in three nights and won for only the second time in nine home games against Tampa Bay.

Vasilevskiy made 18 saves for the Lightning, who have lost nine of their past 12.

The Panthers were sluggish on offence throughout and went 14:54 during the first period without a shot and recorded four.

The game was a marked contrast from Saturday’s 5-4 shootout won by Florida.

NOTES: Panthers C Aleksander Barkov returned after missing 10 games with a hand injury. … D Dmitry Kulikov missed the game with a lower-body injury. … Gerard Gallant coached his 100th game for the Panthers. … Lightning forwards Mike Blunden and Jonathan Marchessault, recalled from AHL Syracuse on Sunday, both played. … C Cedric Paquette was scratched with a lower-body injury.

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