SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jesper Boqvist scored twice in the third period and the Florida Panthers beat the Utah Hockey Club 4-1 on Wednesday night. Sam Reinhart and Eetu Luostarinen each had a goal for the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Matthew Tkachuk finished with two assists, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Jesper Boqvist scored twice for the Florida Panthers in a 4-1 win against the Utah Hockey Club at Delta Center on Wednesday. “Really complete effort there to close up the road trip, we played a full [60 minutes],” Boqvist said. “They had a lot of [power-play] chances, but we stuck with it, stayed with it, and got two points here."

This affiliate content is not influenced by our advertising relationships, but AP and Data Skrive might earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content.

Utah Hockey Club defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) and defenseman Juuso Valimaki (4) goes fight for the puck against Florida Panthers center Jesper Boqvist (70) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)

Utah sports a 5-7-4 record in its barn and has also lost its last three straight at home. Karel Vejmelka is tonight’s expected starter, and in his last five games, he possesses a 1-3-1 record with a .901 SV% and a 3.03 GAA.

Another strong game from Sergei Bobrovsky was the backbone as the Panthers took down Utah 4-1. The first period in Utah was mostly uneventful as both teams appeared to be feeling out one another. An early power play during the second period gave Florida the opportunity to break the ice at the Delta Center,