Noel Acciari leads Panthers past Stars with 2nd consecutive hat trick
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Noel Acciari completed his second straight hat trick with a penalty shot and added an assist in Florida’s five-goal second period in the Panthers’ 7-4 victory over the Dallas Stars on Friday night.
Acciari had the natural hat trick in a Florida-record 3:59 span, pushing his season goals total to a career-high 11.
The 28-year-old former Providence player began the run at 7:26 of the second, struck again at 7:58, and slipped his first career penalty shot through goalie Anton Khudobin’s pads with 8:35 left in the period to make it 7-1. Acciari got the short-handed penalty shot after he was hooked by John Klingberg on a breakaway.
Acciari had his first career three-goal game Tuesday night in a 6-1 victory over Ottawa, with the Panthers also scoring five goals in the second period of that game.
Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and three assists for a second consecutive four-point outing, and Vincent Trocheck added a goal and two helpers. Anton Stralman and Colton Sceviour also scored, Aleksander Barkov had two assists, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves.
The Panthers were 5-4-0 on their franchise-record, nine-game homestand.
Tyler Seguin scored twice for Dallas, Denis Gurianov and Jamie Benn also scored, and Corey Perry had two assists. Ben Bishop allowed six goals on in 20 shots in 27:58, and Khudobin stopped 12 shots in relief.
NOTES: Dallas forward Joe Pavelski played his 1,000th career game. … Florida’s Pavel Bure was the last Panther to have back-to-back hat tricks, accomplishing the feat in February 2001. … Dallas is 5-2-1 in its last eight.
UP NEXT
Stars: Host Calgary on Sunday night.
Panthers: At Carolina on Saturday night.