Panthers edge Blackhawks 3-2 on Eller’s late winner

Lars Eller scored with 2:23 remaining in the third period to lift the Florida Panthers to a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. Sandis Vilmanis and Matthew Tkachuk also scored for Florida, ending a two-game losing streak. Ryan Greene and Roman Kantserov scored for Chicago, which dropped its third straight. Spencer Knight stopped 29 shots. Chicago failed on seven power plays, including two brief 5-on-3s, and saw its NHL-worst conversion rate fall to 8.33%. Florida outshot Chicago 15-6 in the first and led 2-1 after one. Greene opened scoring at 2:34 by batting a bouncing puck past Akira Schmid. Vilmanis tied it at 6:49 of the first on a rebound. Tkachuk’s power-play goal five seconds into the man advantage at 14:21 of the first, off a Seth Jones point-shot deflection, restored the lead. Kantserov tied the game 2-2 at 11:15 of the second on a screened wrist shot. Eller’s winner at 17:37 of the third came as Florida caught Chicago on a line change. CONTESTED: AP, CBS News, and The Globe and Mail report Schmid made 19 saves; Miami Herald and Lufkin Daily News report 20. The latter also describe Schmid stopping Cole Smith on a breakaway with 5:45 left.