(Updated: CORRECTION: Clemmensen had 17 saves in third graph)
Hurricanes 5, Panthers 1: Riley Nash and Alexander Semin scored 87 seconds apart midway through the first period, sparking host Carolina to a 5-1 rout of Florida.
Defensemen Brett Bellemore and Andrej Sekera also tallied and Jiri Tlusty scored as the Hurricanes won for the sixth time in eight games. Jeff Skinner collected a pair of assists and Anton Khudobin, making his 15th start in 16 games, turned aside 34 shots to improve to 14-5-0.
Nick Bjugstad scored the only goal for the Panthers, who fell to 1-5-0 in their last six games. Tim Thomas allowed four goals on 14 shots before giving way to Scott Clemmensen, who made 17 saves.
Carolina got on the scoreboard at 9:17 of the opening period when Tuomo Ruutu intercepted a pass along the right boards and flicked a backhand pass to Nash, who beat Thomas glove side with a high wrist shot. Semin continued his recent tear with a turnaround shot from the high slot for his eighth goal in his last 10 games.
Bjugstad cut the deficit in half with 4 1/2 minutes left in the period by converting rebound that trickled through Khudobin, but Bellemore answered with a blast from just inside the edge of the right circle circle. Tlusty picked up a gimme just over 4 1/2 minutes into the second period, tapping a rebound of captain Eric Staal’s shot into an open net to end Thomas’ night.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Ruutu celebrated his 600th career game with the assist on Nash’s opening tally. … Thomas has surrendered at least three goals in eight of his last 10 starts. … Bellemore hit the scoresheet for the first time in nine games and notched his first goal since Nov. 21. … Hurricanes D John-Michael Liles suffered a lower-body injury.
