Williams scores twice, Hurricanes defeat Panthers 4-3

Justin Williams had two goals and an assist and the Carolina Hurricanes rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.

Nino Niederreiter had a goal and an assist, and Justin Faulk also scored a goal Florida, which has won seven of its last nine games. Peter Mrazek made 27 saves.

Aleksander Barkov, Evgenii Dadonov and Jonathan Huberdeau each had a goal and an assist for the Panthers, whose three-game winning streak was snapped. James Reimer stopped 21 shots in his fourth consecutive start.

Carolina Hurricanes' Jaccob Slavin, left, and Florida Panthers' Mike Hoffman (68) compete for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP PhotoLuis M. Alvarez)

The Hurricanes tied the score 3-all on a power-play goal by Faulk, whose shot from the right circle beat Reimer 19 seconds into the third period.

William's second goal, a shot from right circle that went high into the net, gave Carolina a 4-3 lead at 2:16 of the third.

The Panthers successfully killed off a two-minute 5-on-3 power-play early in the third.

Florida Panthers' Riley Sheahan (15) moves the puck as Carolina Hurricanes' Trevor van Riemsdyk (57) defends during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP PhotoLuis M. Alvarez)

Trailing 2-0, the Panthers scored three goals in 4:15 of the second.

The Panthers closed to 2-1 when Jayce Hawryluk passed from behind the net to Dadonov in the slot. Dadonov slipped the puck past Mrazek at 6:53.

Barkov's power-play goal tied the score at 2. Dadonov passed to Barkov on the right side of the crease. Barkov redirected the puck into the net with the shaft of his stick at 9:49.

Carolina Hurricanes' Brock McGinn (23) moves the puck as Florida Panthers' Henrik Borgstrom, left, and Josh Brown (2) defend during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP PhotoLuis M. Alvarez)

Huberdeau gave the Panthers a 3-2 lead when his shot from the slot beat Mrazek on the stick side at 11:08.

The Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead on a bizarre goal by Williams at 5:12 of the first. Williams was positioned in front of the net when Brett Pesce took a shot from the high slot that hit Williams in the right side of the face and then went into the net. Williams fell face down on the ice, but was able to leave on his own. Williams returned to the game shortly after.

The Hurricanes stretched their lead to 2-0 at 4:35 of the second when Niederreiter poked in a rebound.

Carolina Hurricanes' Trevor van Riemsdyk (57) takes the puck from Florida Panthers' Riley Sheahan (15) as Carolina Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho (20) watches during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP PhotoLuis M. Alvarez)

Notes: Panthers D MacKenzie Weegar returned after missing seven days due to illness. D Mike Matheson remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury. ... Tennis star John Isner dropped the puck in a pregame ceremony.

UP NEXT:

Hurricanes: Visit the Dallas Stars on Saturday.

Florida Panthers' Aleksander Barkov (16) celebrates his goal with Mike Hoffman, left, and Evgenii Dadonov (63) during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP PhotoLuis M. Alvarez)

Panthers: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Florida Panthers' Jonathan Huberdeau (11) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP PhotoLuis M. Alvarez)