Swedish center Jesper Boqvist scored the winning goal in the third period to give the Florida Panthers, the reigning champions, a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL season opener on Tuesday.
The Panthers raised their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship banner and then launched their quest for a third crown in a row by beating the Blackhawks, with the crowd chanting, "We want three!" as the banner went to the arena roof.
"It's an exciting night seeing the banner go up," Florida center Sam Bennett said. "But after puck drop it's back to business."
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