Panthers, down 3-0 in the third, stun Hurricanes and win in shootout, 4-3

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart scored extra-attacker goals in the final minutes to lead a furious comeback, Evan Rodrigues got the winning goal in the shootout and the Florida Panthers stunned the Carolina Hurricanes with a 4-3 victory on Friday night.

Brad Marchand also scored for Florida, which trailed 3-0 midway through the third and still was down 3-1 with less than five minutes left. The NHL said it was the first time Florida won a game when down by three goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation.

With Sergei Bobrovsky being pulled for an extra attacker with about 4:40 left, Bennett scored quickly to make it 3-2 and Reinhart connected with 41.8 seconds left to knot the game at 3-3.

It was Florida's second three-goal comeback in less than two weeks. The Panthers also rallied from three down to top Columbus 7-6 on Dec. 6.

Sebastian Aho scored two third-period goals for the second consecutive game for the Hurricanes, whose five-game winning streak was snapped. Jordan Staal also scored for Carolina.

Goaltender Brandon Bussi — who was in camp with the Panthers this fall before being claimed by the Hurricanes — had 38 saves and lost for just the second time in 13 starts this season.

Marchand's goal was his 20th of the season for Florida, making him the third-oldest player to reach that number with the Panthers. Jaromir Jagr did it at 43, Joe Nieuwendyk did it at 39. Marchand, in his first full season with Florida, is 37.

Bobrovsky stopped 26 shots for Florida, which now has won seven of its last eight games.

Staal scored at 11:53 of the first put Carolina up 1-0, and it stayed that way until Aho scored on a breakout early in the third. Aho struck again on the power play with 12:26 left, about a minute after Marchand was called for cross-checking — a play that left the Panthers bench in disbelief.

Marchand scored midway through the third, and the rally was on.

Hurricanes: Visit Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Panthers: Host St. Louis on Saturday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, center, celebrates with center Sam Reinhart, right, and left wing A.J. Greer (10) after making the winning save during overtime of an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) makes a save against Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett as left wing Brad Marchand (63) closes in during overtime of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, center, celebrates with center Sam Reinhart, right, and left wing A.J. Greer (10) after making the winning save during overtime of an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) leaves the ice after losing an NHL hockey game in overtime against the Florida Panthers, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) celebrates with teammates after an NHL hockey game overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)

Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) celebrates after a goal with teammate Eric Robinson (50) as Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) looks on during the first period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)

Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand (63) looks to pass the puck as Carolina Hurricanes left wing William Carrier, left, defends during the first period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)

Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett collides into Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin (74) blocks the shot of Florida Panthers right wing Mackie Samoskevich (11) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)

Florida Panthers left wing A.J. Greer and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker collide into goaltender Brandon Bussi during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration launched military strikes Friday in Syria to “eliminate” Islamic State group fighters and weapons sites in retaliation for an ambush attack that killed two U.S. troops and an American civilian interpreter almost a week ago.

A U.S. official described it as “a large-scale” strike that hit 70 targets in areas across central Syria that had IS infrastructure and weapons. Another U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive operations, said more strikes should be expected.

“This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance. The United States of America, under President Trump’s leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on social media.

The new military operation in Syria comes even as the Trump administration has said it’s looking to focus closer to home in the Western Hemisphere, building up an armada in the Caribbean Sea as it targets alleged drug-smuggling boats and vowing to keep seizing sanctioned oil tankers as part of a pressure campaign on Venezuela’s leader. The U.S. has shifted significant resources away from the Middle East to further those goals: Its most advanced aircraft carrier arrived in South American waters last month from the Mediterranean Sea.

President Donald Trump pledged “very serious retaliation” after the shooting in the Syrian desert, for which he blamed IS. Those killed were among hundreds of U.S. troops deployed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition fighting the militant group.

During a speech in North Carolina on Friday evening, the president hailed the operation as a “massive strike” that took out the “ISIS thugs in Syria who were trying to regroup.”

Earlier, in his social media post, he reiterated his backing for Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who Trump said was “fully in support” of the U.S. effort.

Trump also offered an all-caps threat, warning IS against attacking American personnel again.

“All terrorists who are evil enough to attack Americans are hereby warned — YOU WILL BE HIT HARDER THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HIT BEFORE IF YOU, IN ANY WAY, ATTACK OR THREATEN THE U.S.A.,” the president added.

The attack was conducted using F-15 Eagle jets, A-10 Thunderbolt ground attack aircraft and AH-64 Apache helicopters, the U.S. officials said. F-16 fighter jets from Jordan and HIMARS rocket artillery also were used, one official added.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees the region, said in a social media post that American jets, helicopters and artillery employed more than 100 precision munitions on Syrian targets.

The attack was a major test for the warming ties between the United States and Syria since the ouster of autocratic leader Bashar Assad a year ago. Trump has stressed that Syria was fighting alongside U.S. troops and said al-Sharaa was “extremely angry and disturbed by this attack,” which came as the U.S. military is expanding its cooperation with Syrian security forces.

Syria’s foreign ministry in a statement on X following the launch of U.S. strikes said that last week’s attack “underscores the urgent necessity of strengthening international cooperation to combat terrorism in all its forms” and that Syria is committed “to fighting ISIS and ensuring that it has no safe havens on Syrian territory and will continue to intensify military operations against it wherever it poses a threat.”

Syrian state television reported that the U.S. strikes hit targets in rural areas of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa provinces and in the Jabal al-Amour area near the historic city of Palmyra. It said they targeted “weapons storage sites and headquarters used by ISIS as launching points for its operations in the region.”

IS has not said it carried out the attack on the U.S. service members, but the group has claimed responsibility for two attacks on Syrian security forces since, one of which killed four Syrian soldiers in Idlib province. The group in its statements described al-Sharaa’s government and army as “apostates.” While al-Sharaa once led a group affiliated with al-Qaida, he has had a long-running enmity with IS.

Trump this week met privately with the families of the slain Americans at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware before he joined top military officials and other dignitaries on the tarmac for the dignified transfer, a solemn and largely silent ritual honoring U.S. service members killed in action.

The guardsmen killed in Syria last Saturday were Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown. Ayad Mansoor Sakat, of Macomb, Michigan, a U.S. civilian working as an interpreter, also was killed.

The shooting near Palmyra also wounded three other U.S. troops as well as members of Syria’s security forces, and the gunman was killed. The assailant had joined Syria’s internal security forces as a base security guard two months ago and recently was reassigned because of suspicions that he might be affiliated with IS, Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba has said.

The man stormed a meeting between U.S. and Syrian security officials who were having lunch together and opened fire after clashing with Syrian guards.

Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut, Lebanon, contributed.

President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the Rocky Mount Events Center in Rocky Mount, N.C., Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

This photo provided by the U.S. Air Force shows a U.S. Airman preparing an A-10 Thunderbolt II for flight from a base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in support of Operation Hawkeye Strike. (U.S. Air Force/DVIDS via AP)

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth salute as carry teams move the transfer cases with the remains of Iowa National Guard soldiers Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa, and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat, who were killed in an attack in Syria, during a casualty return, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025 at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth salutes during a casualty return for Iowa National Guard soldiers Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa, and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat, who were killed in Syria, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)