Weiss nets 2nd career hat trick, scores in shootout to lift Panthers to win over Avs

Weiss gets hat trick in Panthers’ SO win

SUNRISE, Fla. — Stephen Weiss recorded his second NHL hat trick and scored in the shootout to lift the Florida Panthers to a 6-5 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.

Nathan Horton and Dominic Moore also had goals for the Panthers, who snapped a five-game losing streak.

T.J. Galiardi and Matt Duchene both scored for Colorado with less then a minute left in regulation to send the game to overtime. Chris Stewart and Paul Stastny also had goals for Colorado. Duchene netted another goal the second period.

Scott Clemmensen, starting in place of injured Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun, made 29 saves. Vokoun is recovering after he was hit in the head by Florida defenseman Keith Ballard’s stick during a bizarre on-ice accident Monday night. Vokoun received stitches on his ear but had no other medical problems.

Ballard was involved in another scary goalie incident on Wednesday. Charging toward the net with less than a minute left in overtime, Ballard slid toward the net and appeared to collide with Colorado’s Craig Anderson, whose head hit the goal post.

Anderson, who played for the Panthers last season, remained on the ice for several minutes after the collision and was replaced by Peter Budaj. Colorado’s Adam Foote pounced on Ballard afterward and a scuffle ensued behind the net. Ballard was penalized for goaltender interference.

Facing his former team for the first time, Anderson stopped 39 shots. Anderson, who spent three seasons with the Panthers, was coming off a 33-save effort in Colorado’s 3-0 shutout win over Tampa Bay on Monday.

Duchene added a goal with 52.6 seconds left in regulation to make it 5-4. Then, with 16 seconds remaining, Galiardi tied it at 5-all.

Stastny scored for Colorado goal at 4:49 in the third period to make it 4-3. But then at 7:41 in the third, Moore poked the puck into the net during a power play to put the Panthers up 5-3.

Horton’s power-play goal gave Florida a 4-2 lead with 3:39 left the second. Horton beat Anderson with a shot from the high slot for his eighth goal.

Colorado scored its first of the night 5:52 into the second period. Clemmensen stopped the initial shot from Duchene, but Stewart tipped in the puck. However, Weiss followed that goal with his third of the night — a wrist shot at 8:16 in the second that made it 3-1.

Weiss’ first hat trick came on Jan. 13, 2007, in a 7-3 Florida win over Washington. After his third goal Wednesday, play was delayed as baseball caps were cleared from the ice.

Duchene’s goal came on the power play and cut Florida’s lead to one at 11:19 in the second period.

Weiss opened the scoring with a power-play goal with 3:55 remaining in the opening period. With Marek Svatos in the penalty box for tripping, Weiss tipped in the puck. With 1:14 left in the first, he put in a rebound with a wrist shot to make it 2-0.

NOTES: The Panthers were the only NHL team Anderson had never faced. … The Avalanche, who had dropped eight of 10 before Monday’s win, are in the midst of a five-game trip that will wrap up Dec. 7 in St. Louis. … Florida recalled C Jeff Taffe, C Mike Duco and G Alexander Salak from Rochester (AHL) and reassigned C Shawn Matthias and LW Steve MacInytre.