Florida snaps Boston's six-game undefeated streak

Posted: Sun October 26, 1997 at 12:03 AM ET

BOSTON (AP) -- Winger Bill Lindsay figures his Florida Panthers have turned the corner and started on their way up.

Lindsay scored the goal late in the third period that gave the Panthers a 5-4 victory over Boston, ending the Bruins' undefeated streak at six games.

"We've hit bottom," said Lindsay, whose team is in last place in the NHL's Atlantic Division with a 3-5-2 record.

"It was a big win for us. Everyone was frustrated so, what the heck, we figured to just go out and play. It couldn't get any worse.

"We got some good shots and some good bounces, which we haven't gotten in the past year."

Veteran winger Ray Sheppard scored twice for the Panthers, his first two of the season, running his career total to 306 in his 11th NHL season.

"It was a good night, personally, considering I hadn't scored yet," said Sheppard, who once scored 52 goals for the Detroit Red Wings.

Boston Coach Pat Burns labeled his team's performance "not very good.

"We didn't compete very hard," he said. "When we did we had success. When we didn't we gave them the puck a lot.

"They [Florida] didn't play that well. We sort of gave them the opportunity to win the hockey game."

Bruin Sergei Samsonov, a first-round choice in this year's draft, scored his first NHL goal 46 seconds into the third period and Tim Taylor followed with a goal at 2:42 to give the Bruins a 4-3 lead.

But Sheppard batted a knuckle ball between Boston goalie Jim Carey's pads to tie the game at 5:50 in the third period and Lindsay got the game-winner at 14:04.

Tom Fitzgerald's second goal of the season gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead only 11 seconds in the game, a freak goal that bounced off the backboard and eluded Carey.

But Anson Carter, assisted by Samsonov, tied it for the Bruins with his first goal of the year at 8:33 of the same period.

Sheppard's first goal, with four seconds remaining in the first period, was a power-play score that bounced off Carey's shoulder and into the net.

Ray Bourque tied the game with his fourth goal at 3:04 of the second period. But Scott Mellanby put the Panthers ahead just 24 seconds later.

Panthers goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck made 27 saves, and Boston's Carey had 24.

The Bruins (7-4-1), with a successful road trip behind them, have won only one of four games at home while sporting a 6-2-0 record on the road.

Joe Thornton, the top choice in the 1997 draft, played his first game in front of the home crowd.