Panthers’ Defense Is Missing

The Florida Panthers’ feisty defensive game, which carried them to the Stanley Cup finals in 1996, has disintegrated into chaos.

After clearing out veterans to play youngsters, then going back to veterans when the kids failed, the Panthers are 0-5-5, their longest winless streak ever. They rank near the bottom of the league defensively, a shocking fall.

“I don’t know what to say anymore. I’ve run out of words,” left wing Bill Lindsay said. “It’s right on the line now. We’re at about the breaking point now. Either we go one way or the other.”

Said defenseman Ed Jovanovski: “Every team goes through something like this to an extent, but this is carrying on a bit too far. We’ve got to settle down. We’re a team that was established to be a good defensive team, and that’s the most frustrating thing.”

On the ice

Eric Lindros scored twice and had an assist and Rod Brind’Amour added a goal and two assists as the Philadelphia Flyers beat the New York Islanders 3-1 Monday night in Philadelphia.

Brind’Amour’s three points gave him 600 in his nine-season NHL career, while Lindros moved ahead of Rick Tocchet into seventh place on the Flyers’ all-time goals list with 216.

At Pittsburgh, Ed Olczyk had a goal and an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins scored three times in 70 seconds to chase goaltender Grant Fuhr in the first period and beat the slumping St. Louis Blues 4-2.

The Penguins scored on two of their first four shots against Fuhr, then got a goal on their first shot against Jamie McLennan as the Blues’ winless streak extended to 0-5-1.