National Hockey League
San Jose 2, Florida 1
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, February 18, 2016
Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida
Referees: Gord Dwyer, Dan O'Halloran
Linesmen: Kiel Murchison, Pierre Racicot
Attendance: 13019

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers' shootout streak finally ended after six straight victories.

Meanwhile, Martin Jones' rise among NHL goalies is seemingly just beginning.

Right winger Joe Pavelski scored the winning shootout goal, and Jones was solid again as the San Jose Sharks rallied to defeat Florida 2-1 on Thursday at the BB&T Center.

"He was a rock back there," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said of Jones, who is 12-2-1 in his past 15 starts. "He had good legs, didn't make any mistakes."

Whether it was a mistake is debatable, but Jones allowed one goal Thursday. Then again, the player who beat him -- right winger Jaromir Jagr -- has done that to just about every goalie he has ever seen.

Jagr put the Panthers up 1-0 with 17:37 left in the third period, scoring career goal No. 740. Jagr, 44, is one goal behind Brett Hull for third place on the NHL scoring list.

San Jose tied the score 1-1 on a goal by center Logan Couture with 11:04 left in the third period. It was Couture's sixth goal of the season, and he was set up by center Joe Thornton, whose pass from behind the Panthers net resulted in his 39th assist.

The Sharks, who went 0 for 4 on the power play, got their final man advantage in overtime but could not score.

"We've been good on the power play the past few games," Pavelski said. "We would have liked to have scored there and not leave it up to a shootout."

In the shootout, Panthers left winger Jonathan Huberdeau hit the left post, and San Jose went up 1-0 on a goal by right winger Joonas Donskoi.

Florida tied the shootout 1-1 on a shot by center Nick Bjugstad before Pavelski put San Jose up 2-1. And when Jones stoned Panthers left winger Jussi Jokinen, the Sharks (31-20-5) had their win over Florida (33-18-7).

"When it got to the shootout, we felt real good about our chances," said Panthers coach Gerard Gallant, referring to his team's 6-2 record in those situations, which leads the league in terms of most wins.

Even with the defeat, Gallant said he was pleased, especially considering he has six front-line players injured and was using a number of rookies and AHL call-ups.

Gallant said he was also thrilled his defense allowed only 17 shots on goal.

"If you look at our lineup, we are doing the best we can," Gallant said. "How many shots did they have? I was real happy. I think our guys played a perfect game for me."

One player who was decidedly less than enthused was Panthers center Vincent Trocheck, who had three breakaway opportunities in the game and failed to score.

On one of them, which came shorthanded, he didn't even get a shot off as he lost control of the puck.

"I have to capitalize on all three of those chances," Trocheck said. "That's on me. On the first one, it got away from me. It rolled off my stick -- it's not something I'm used to happening."

One thing that does happen a lot is Jagr scoring. He has 18 goals this season, exceeding his total for last year.

For as much trouble as Trocheck had on the breakaways, he deserves credit for setting up Jagr on his goal. Trocheck did most of the work on the play, weaving through traffic to get off a dangerous shot. Jagr had his stick on the ice and quickly pounced on the loose puck.

For a while, that looked like it would be the game-winning goal.

Panthers backup goalie Al Montoya, who beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 2-1 shootout Monday, was playing a solid game until he got beat by Couture.

Still, Montoya has allowed two goals or fewer in 12 of his 15 starts this season.

This was the first time this season that Montoya has started consecutive games.

"I enjoy playing with this team," said Montoya, who started in place of slumping All-Star Roberto Luongo. "It's fun. (Luongo's) been great all season.

"We battled hard. It's unfortunate we didn't come away with two points. But it was a huge point for us."

The Sharks, though, got the extra point, and are 20-8-2 away from home this season. That is one of the top four road records in the league.

NOTES: With a 2.29 goals-against average, Panthers G Roberto Luongo is on pace to tie John Vanbiesbrouck for the Florida single-season record in that category. However, Luongo has allowed 18 goals in his past five games. ... Panthers C Aleksander Barkov (concussion) and D Erik Gudbranson (shoulder) are targeting the Arizona Coyotes game Feb. 25 as their possible return to the ice. ... Florida scratched C Quinton Howden (concussion) and C Dave Bolland (ankle). ... Sharks coach Peter DeBoer directed the Panthers from 2008 to 2011. ... San Jose scratched D Mirco Mueller, RW Mike Brown and D Brendon Dillon.
Top Game Performances
 
San Jose   Florida
Logan Couture 1 Points Jaromir Jagr 1
Logan Couture 1 Goals Jaromir Jagr 1
Joe Pavelski 1 Assists Reilly Smith 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Martin Jones .950 Save Percentage Al Montoya .944
Martin Jones 19 Saves Al Montoya 17
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
San Jose 18 2 0-4 1-1 2 27
Florida 20 1 0-1 4-4 8 29
Upcoming Games
  • Florida will play their next game at home against Winnipeg. The Panthers have a W/L % of .667 after a win and .440 after a loss.
  • San Jose will play their next game on the road against Carolina. The Sharks have a W/L % of .533 after a win and .577 after a loss.