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Tuesday, Oct. 12 7:30pm ET
Panthers beat punchless Canadiens | |||||
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MONTREAL (AP) -- The Florida Panthers stayed unbeaten with a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night, but it was a painful win for Scott Mellanby and Pavel Bure.
Mellanby was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion when he slid and hit the back of his head on the boards as the game ended. However, he was talking as he was taken off on a stretcher. "He said, 'It's nice to get a standing ovation in Montreal,' so he still had his sense of humor," Panthers defensemen Paul Laus said. The crowd gave Mellanby, a Montreal native, an ovation as he was carried off. He was taken to a hospital, where he had X-Rays and was expected to stay overnight for observation. "When I got there he was conscious and breathing," said Florida coach Terry Murray. "The linesman said he was out for about 30 seconds. But we'll see how he is. He was conscious when he left the ice." Teammate Ray Whitney called Mellanby's wife, Sue, to update her and their two young children on the injury. "She was very worried," Whitney said. "It's hard to keep things in perspective, but we're glad that he's OK." Bure had a goal and an assist before leaving midway through the third period with a pulled groin. "He's icing it down and we'll see how it is (today)," Murray said. "He came off just to get it wrapped, but the trainer came back and said he's not coming back." Bure fell untouched while entering the Montreal zone. He said he "just pushed too hard" while skating. "Right now, I don't know (how serious it is)," said Bure, who missed most of last season with a torn knee ligament. "We'll see a doctor and see how it feels." Bure scored his third goal of the season in the first period and got his 500th career point when he assisted on Lance Pitlick's second-period goal for the Panthers (3-0-1). "This is a nice milestone, but I want it to be 500 goals -- not just points," said Bure, who has 16 goals and six assists in 15 games for the Panthers since he was traded to Florida by the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 17. Dainius Zubrus scored his first goal of the season for the Canadiens (1-4-0). Montreal coach Alain Vigneault praised the crowd for showing compassion for Mellanby. "I congratulate the fans for the ovation they gave him," Vigneault said. "It was a lot different from what happened at the football game in Philadelphia." On Sunday, Eagles fans cheered when Dallas star Michael Irvin was carried off with a spine injury. The opening goal was vintage Bure. After Zubrus let Brian Savage's pass slide back to the point, Bure lifted rookie Francis Bouillon's stick to allow the puck to go down the ice. Bure swept in to pick off goalie Jeff Hackett's pass and shot into the open net for a 1-0 lead at 6:57 of the first period. Pitlick took Ryan Johnson's pass on a two-on-one to score at the end of a Canadiens' power play at 5:33 of the second period on a play started by Bure. Zubrus backhanded the rebound of Saku Koivu's shot past Trevor Kidd at 13:12. | ALSO SEE NHL Scoreboard Florida Clubhouse Montreal Clubhouse Panthers' Mellanby hospitalized after concussion
RECAPS Florida 2 Montreal 1 AUDIO/VIDEO   Pavel Bure rifles a shot into the open net. (Courtesy: SportsChannel Flordia)avi: 714 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1   | |||||
