CHICAGO (AP) — In just over a period of hockey, Florida defenseman Tobias Bjornfot scored twice, tripling his career goal output.
It helped the Panthers rally late for a 5-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night and cruise to their third straight win.
The 24-year-old Swedish defenseman entered the game with just one goal in 138 career NHL games over seven seasons. The journeyman added two more against Chicago to help Florida win for the sixth time in eight games and keep rolling following a 4-3 overtime win in Minnesota on Saturday.
Bjornfot wrapped in a fluke goal with 4:27 left in the second period against the Blackhawks to open the scoring. He capped Florida's four-goal third period, cruising into the slot and firing in Carter Verhaeghe’s feed with 22 seconds left.
Bjornfot skated in just his fifth NHL game this season after playing 22 with Charlotte of the AHL. His previous NHL score came in May 1, 2021, with Los Angeles at Anaheim during the COVID-19 altered season.
Bjornfot, the Kings first-round draft pick in 2019 (22nd overall) was just 20 years old when he netted that one.
“It felt good,” Bjornfot said Sunday. “It's been awhile since my first one.”
Bjornfot got career goal No. 2 following a faceoff in the Chicago zone. He circled the net and jammed in the puck through Spencer Knight’s pads from the right side. He flashed a big grin during an understated celebration as he returned to the bench.
“They were just happy for me,” Bjornfot said of his teammates. “They thought it was my first goal, maybe, but it's nice to get one."
“I didn't know who was in the slot," Bjornfot added. "I was thinking maybe to pass it to him and I saw he wasn't open and I thought ‘just take it to the net’ and it went well.
"I'm not really a goal scorer, but it helps.”
After Florida took a 3-1 lead early in the third on goals by Mackie Samoskevich and Verhaeghe just over two minutes apart. Sam Reinhart added an empty-netter with 1:49 left. With Knight back in goal, Bjornfot connected again.
The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers have relied on depth to stay in the thick of the playoff hunt this season after being hit by injuries to key players. Forward Matthew Tkachuk played just his fourth game on Sunday after missing the first 47 following surgery last summer to repair sports hernia and torn adductor muscle.
Aleksander Barkov and Tomas Nosek have yet to play this season. Standout defenseman Seth Jones, removed from the U.S. Olympic roster last week, missed his 11th game on Sunday with a collarbone injury.
“Toby's been unbelievable for us since he came in,” said fellow defenseman Gustav Forsling, an anchor on Florida's blueline. “He really helps us and to get two goals today, I'm very happy for him.”
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