Gerard Gallant waits for cab after being fired by Panthers

Rowe coached the San Antonio Rampage and Portland Pirates in the AHL and was an assistant for the Hurricanes from 2008 to 2011 before taking over as Florida’s GM.

As far as Gallant goes, his fate was likely sealed following Tuesday’s loss to the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. “Obviously a tough road to be back here but great city, great fans and I’m happy”, the 35-year-old Leighton said in a postgame on-ice interview. He cited Rowe as a factor in helping him to understand the adjustments to the North American game that Europe-trained players encounter. ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (14-6-3): Kane leads the way with 23 points while Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov have also posted at least 20, and veteran Marian Hossa boasts a team-high 11 goals? two shy of his total in 2015-16. I think you need to keep an open mind to both analytics and how best to use that information within the context of also understanding what makes a player useful just from knowing the game. That’s kind of what’s been goin’ on all year.

Gallant was definitely a gracious, friendly person with the media and I wish him all the best.

After Carolina put together a five-game win streak that was predominantly constructed on winning faceoffs, maintaining puck possession and subsequently converting on scoring opportunities, as well as executing flawless shutdown penalty-killing sequences, Florida flipped the script on the Hurricanes early on.

Cam Ward had started the previous nine games in goal for Carolina. Doing so may result in civil and/or criminal penalties. Goalie James Reimer stopped 24 shots for the Panthers.

Ekblad followed at 9:51, with Barkov earning an assist.

“For five minutes we let them come back in the game”, Gallant said in his final interview as Florida coach.

Hurricanes center Jordan Staal left in the first period with an upper-body injury.

“It’s a big win”, Skinner said. This is a tremendous locker room with really good people. That falls on all of us: me, the players, the other coaches.

Sitting 2 points out of a playoff spot, 22 games into the young National Hockey League season. Florida posted victories in Montreal, Ottawa and NY (against the Rangers) during a trip that ended last Sunday after winning just one of its first six road contests this season and begins this excursion on the heels of a 2-1 shootout triumph at home against Columbus on Saturday. Less than a year after getting that new deal, he was getting into a taxi in a surreal scene outside the arena in Raleigh, North Carolina where he coached the Panthers for the last time.

However, key pad saves from Leighton denied the Panthers from pulling closer.

“We wanted to develop a team and build a team that was fast, that moved the puck quickly, attack the offensive net and pressure the puck in all three zones”, said Rowe, who will relinquish his duties as general manager to focus on coaching. They went 4-0 in overtimes or shootouts during that stretch.

“I thought he was outstanding”, Peters said.

The move comes shortly after the Panthers’ 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Gallant, who played parts of 11 seasons in the National Hockey League, mostly with the Detroit Red Wings, then departed the arena in a taxi, drawing criticism from some of the team’s fans.