Panthers, Canadiens combine for 10 goals in 1st period of Florida win

Goaltending was optional during the first period of Thursday's contest between the Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens.

The Atlantic Division counterparts combined for 10 goals in the opening 20 minutes, with the Panthers going to intermission with a 7-3 lead and a franchise record for most goals in a single period.

The offensive outburst tied the all-time record for goals in the first 10 minutes of a period, according to NHL Public Relations. It also tied the benchmark for most goals in an opening frame, per StatsCentre.

Florida and Montreal fell two tallies short of matching the NHL record for goals in a period, set by the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres in 1981 (12).

The Canadiens opened the scoring 16 seconds after puck drop on a goal from Mike Matheson and beat Sergei Bobrovsky on each of their first three shots of the game.

The Panthers responded to Matheson's marker with two goals of their own within three minutes. The score was tied 3-3 before Florida scored four straight beginning at the 10:33 mark. Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, and Josh Mahura paved the way with two points apiece, and 14 different skaters notched a point.

Florida's seven goals came on just 1.55 expected in all situations, according to Natural Stat Trick. The clubs scored all 10 goals at even strength.

The Canadiens have been involved in numerous high-octane affairs lately, losing 8-4 to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday before defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-4 on Tuesday.

The Panthers ultimately won the affair 9-5 to move three points within the New York Islanders for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with two games in hand.