Carolina Captures Shootout Victory Over Panthers

Luongo Makes 35 Saves In Shootout Loss

SUNRISE, FL – Panthers LW Gary Roberts scored the Cats' only goal while G Robert Luongo made 35 saves in a 2-1 shootout loss to visiting Carolina in front of 10,218 at the BankAtlantic Center.

It was the Cats' first home preseason game after four straight road games.

Both regulation goals came in an up and down second period that saw 23 total shots and six power plays. Florida struck first with the man-advantage when D Sean Hill fed a weak side pass to a cutting Roberts for a one-time goal at 6:28.

Carolina struck back just under ten minutes later when Rod Brind'Amour fed Niklas Nordgren for a shorthanded tally at 15:24.

After an overtime period that saw the Panthers outshoot Carolina 4-0, Matt Cullen scored the deciding goal in a shootout.

Panthers C Olli Jokinen, LW Rostislav Olesz and C Jozef Stumpel failed on their attempts, while Luongo stopped Ray Whitney and Niklas Nordgren before Cullen beat him high to the blocker side.

The Cats dominated the early part of the game, outshooting Carolina 6-0 in the first six minutes. But Canes goalie Martin Gerber, who made 26 saves overall, was up to the task.

The Cats will close out the preseason at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 1 p.m.