Takeaways from Panthers 5-2 win over Hurricanes

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SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers continued their winning ways on Friday night, defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 at Amerant Bank Arena.

 

The Panthers have won three-straight games as they improve to 8-4-1 on the season. 

 

Here’s tonight’s takeaways.

 

Uvis Balinskis scores his first NHL goal

27-year-old Uvis Balinskis thought his chance to play in the NHL wouldn’t come at this stage in his career. After leaving Europe this offseason to sign with the Panthers this offseason, Balinskis officially made his NHL debut in October. 

 

“This is my only chance,” Balinskis said when reflecting on his journey to the NHL today.

 

The Latvian defenseman started the first 10 games of the season before being healthy scratched in the past two games.

 

Back in the lineup tonight, Balinskis would hit a major career milestone — scoring his first NHL goal.

 

With 1:07 left in the first period, Matthew Tkachuk fed Balinskis backdoor, putting the Panthers up 2-1 just before the first intermission. 

 

“Everybody was happy for me,” Balinskis said about his teammates reaction to the goal. “Everybody was telling me I got to score one and it finally happened.”

 

Balinskis said post game that his phone was full of messages after scoring his first goal. 

 

Florida’s first-line keeps producing

The Panthers’ top-line of Sam Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov and Evan Rodrigues have been great together this season. 

 

One game removed from the trio each picking up two points in Washington, they were back on the scoresheet Friday night. 

 

7:08 into the second period, Barkov would widen the Panthers lead to two with his fifth goal of the season. Reinhart and Rodrigues would pick up the assists.

 

“It’s easy with those two guys, they’re really smart players,” Barkov said about Reinhart and Rodrigues. “They don’t have any weaknesses in their games… I’m really lucky to play with them right now.”

 

Barkov and Reinhart would also pick up assists on Kevin Stenlund’s empty net goal. 

 

Reinhart leads the Panthers in scoring with 17 points in 13 games, while Barkov is second on the team with 14. Rodrigues isn’t too far off himself with 11 points.

 

Matthew Tkachuk has another big game against Carolina

Besides Sergei Bobrovsky, nobody was a  bigger thorn in Carolina’s side than Matthew Tkachuk was last postseason. In last season’s Eastern Conference Finals, Tkachuk had 5 points in four games against the Hurricanes — including three game-winning goals.

 

In their first matchup since that playoff series, Tkachuk didn’t miss a beat, picking up two points (goal, assist), en route to the Panthers 5-2 win. 

 

“He does accelerate in these games,” Paul Maurice said. “He doesn’t care about points, he just wants to win hockey games. But it’s good that he gets a positive result.”

 

After Carolina’s Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored just 1:20 into the game, Tkachuk would answer back less than two  minutes later — tying things up at 1-1. He would also pick up the primary assist on Balinskis’ go-ahead 2-1 goal later in the period.

 

Tkachuk is at a point-per-game through 13 this season, and is third overall on the team in scoring. 

 

Florida’s next game is at home Sunday, Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Sam Reinhart scores OT winner in Panthers 4-3 win over Capitals

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For a second straight game, the Florida Panthers put together a third period comeback, defeating the Washington Capitals 4-3 in overtime at Capital One Arena.

 

Sam Reinhart’s overtime winner wrapped up Florida’s short one-game road trip with two points as the team improved to 7-4-1 on the season.

 

Here’s tonight’s takeaways. 

 

Ekman-Larsson scores his third goal of the season — surpasses previous season’s high

Last season in Vancouver, Oliver Ekman-Larsson had just 2 goals in 54 games with the Canucks before he was shut down for the year due to an injury he picked up back in February. 

 

Wednesday night against Washington, Ekman-Larsson scored his third goal of the year, already surpassing his goal total from season in 42 fewer games.

 

Still without top defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour, Ekman-Larsson has been heavily relied on by head coach Paul Mauirce early on into the season. 

 

Ekman-Larsson plays on the Panthers’ top defensive-pair, alongside fellow Swede Gustav Forsling. The duo leads the team in total ice-time, with Forsling averaging 24:17 a game, and Ekman-Larsson just under that at 23:58.

 

Florida’s second period play hurts them again

Entering Wednesday’s game, statistically Florida’s worst period of the season has been the second, and it wasn’t really close. 

 

Through 11 games, the Panthers had a -5 goal differential in the second period — which was significantly worse than periods one and three — both of which were +2. Not much changed against the Capitals. 

 

Heading into the second period, Florida led Washington 2-1. Yet, when the  second intermission came around, the Panthers trailed 3-2. 

 

Washington tied the game 6:13 into the period off a short-handed goal from Connor McMichael. They then took the lead with over four minutes before overtime after Anthony Mantha scored his second goal of the night. 

 

The Panthers would not score in the period, as their goal differential in the second regressed to -7 on the season. 

 

Reinhart, Barkov, Rodrgiues continue to rack up points

Two of the best Panthers forwards this season have been Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart. 

 

For Reinhart, he leads the team in both goals and points (9 goals, 16 points). Barkov is second on the team in points (12 points in 11 games). Both players are a +9. 

 

Paul Maurice has liked Barkov and Reinhart together on the top-line this season, and they have shown that it’s working.

 

“They’re driving the offensive game for us right now,” Maurice said about Barkov and Reinhart. “We know that we are a little challenged offensively, but those guys certainly aren’t.”

 

The third member of that top-line hasn’t been a slouch either. In his first season with the Panthers, Evan Rodrigues has been a fairly consistent contributor offensively so far, sitting fourth in team scoring with 10 points in 12 games. Rodrigues also leads the Panthers in plus/minus at +10. 

 

“I think we’ve done a lot of good things, we’ve had some great starts in games, we’ve had some comeback wins,” Rodrigues said when asked about the team’s resilience.  “We know that ability’s there, now I think it’s just continuing to do the small things over and over again… there’s definitely no quit in this team.”

 

Tonight, Reinhart, Barkov and Rodrigues all picked up a goal and an assist respectively en route to the Panthers seventh win of the season. 

 

Another OT, another win

After needing a third period comeback to force overtime Monday night against Columbus, the Panthers were in the same situation Wednesday night, trailing 3-2 in the third period. 

 

Florida’s Evan Rodrigues tied the game 3:33 into the third, and- that would be the only goal either team would score in the final period of regulation. 

 

Both sides grabbed a point as overtime was on the schedule in the nation’s capital.

 

The extra period of hockey did not last long in Washington, D.C.

 

Just 15 seconds into overtime, Sam Reinhart put away his team-high ninth goal of the season to send the Panthers home with the extra point. 

 

“Those are the type of points that are huge at this time of year that pay off later,” Reinhart said postgame. “We know how big it is to come out of the gates and start banking some points early in the year.”

 

Aleksander Barkov picked up the primary assist on Reinhart’s goal, while Evan Rodrigues got the secondary assist.

Takeaways from Panthers 5-4 overtime win over Blue Jackets

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SUNRISE —  The Florida Panthers were able to save themselves after squandering away a three-goal lead on Monday night — mounting a comeback in the last minute of the game to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4 in overtime at Amerant Bank Arena.  

 

Here are tonight’s takeaways from an eventful game in Sunrise. 

 

Florida leapt out of the gates on the frontfoot

Puck drop on Monday night was just after 7 p.m. local time in Sunrise. The Panthers definitely got the memo of what time the game started. 

 

Florida had the ice tilted in their favor for nearly all of the first period. Within the first 6:09 of the game, Florida had already gone up 3-0 on Columbus.

 

Ryan Lomberg opened the scoring just 2:19 into the game — picking up his first goal of the season from below the goal line.

 

Less than a minute after Lomberg got the Panthers on the board, Gustav Forsling’s slapshot from the point would get past Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins. — giving the Panthers a 2-0 lead.

 

Aleksander Barkov would wrap up the Panthers trifecta at the 6:09 mark of the first period. Before some were in their seats, Florida led 3-0. 

 

The Panthers would chase Merzlikins from the game following the third goal. Spencer Martin would take over in net for the Blue Jackets. 

 

With over 15 minutes played in the first, Florida had a 20-1 shot advantage. The Panthers would end the period leading 20-7 in that department.

 

Columbus’ comeback train was moving

The start of the game was not pretty for the visiting Blue Jackets. They were being heavily outshot, they trailed by three goals just minutes into the game, and the Panthers had the pinned in their own zone for most of the first period. But as we’ve seen countless times in hockey, all you need is one.

 

Columbus forward Sean Kuraly was able to end Florida’s barrage, getting Columbus on the board 15:41 into first — cutting the Panthers lead to 3-1. Kuraly’s goal was not only important because it got the Blue Jackets on the board, but it was also just Columbus’ second shot of the game. 

 

Finally on the board, the Blue Jackets would add to their tally three minutes later. After an o-zone turnover by the Panthers, Columbus’ captain Boone Jenner would put his sixth goal of the season past former teammate Sergei Bobrovsky. The Panthers three goal lead became just one in a matter of minutes. 

 

Columbus looked down for the count early in the game, but they were able to overcome the terrible start with two unanswered goals late in the first. 

 

The Blue Jackets trailed 3-2 after 20 minutes of play. 

 

Columbus’ comeback campaign would continue pushing along in the second.

 

After getting the first power play of the night 9:46 into the second, the Blue Jackets would overcome the three-goal deficit. At the 10:02 mark of the period, Kirill Marchenko tied the game at 3-3.

 

Florida’s performance in the second was a far cry from the first 15 minutes of the game. Columbus flipped the ice, taking all the momentum into the final intermission with the game tied. 

 

The Blue Jackets comeback efforts would eventually result in their first lead of the night. 

 

12:30 into the third period, Columbus’ rally would finally see them on top. Whilst leading the rush into the Panthers’ zone, Alexandre Texier tapped his own deflected pass in behind Bobrovsky, giving the Jackets a 4-3 lead.

 

Nick Cousins the late game hero

With the game on the line and just a minute remaining, Nick Cousins is probably not the first guy you’d expect to save the day. 

 

Trailing 4-3 with just a few minutes to play in the game, Florida had their top guys on the ice with the goalie pulled. 

 

Blue Jackets goalie Spencer Martin was slamming the door shut in the clutch — preventing the Panthers from tying the game. 

 

“I think he looked great out there,” Gustav Forsling said about Martin post game. Martin would finish the night with 34 saves on 36 shots.

 

After an extensive shift deep in the Columbus zone led to nothing, the tired Panthers had to make a change, taking most of the top players off the ice. 

 

After a good forecheck by Anton Lundell and Nick Cousins, Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov could not clear the zone. Cousins would get the turnover near the slot before he fired a shot past Martin to tie the game at 4-4 with 56 seconds remaining in regulation. 

 

Cousins’ goal would prevent the Blue Jackets comeback win, sending the game to overtime instead. 

 

“It feels great. Obviously nice to contribute,” Cousins said when asked about scoring the tying goal. “It’s nice to get that goal there when the team needed it most.”

 

Carter Verhaeghe comes up with another overtime winner

In overtime, if there’s one guy the Panthers’ trust most to get them over the finish line, it’s Carter Verhaeghe. 

 

After Nick Cousins tied the game in the final moments of the third, the Panthers and Blue Jackets went to overtime to play for the extra point. 

 

In overtime, Columbus had a glorious odd-man rush chance to end the game, but a missed pass allowed Matthew Tkachuk to head man the puck up the ice to Anton Lundell. With Verhaeghe streaking down the wing to his left on a 2-on-1, Lundell fired a low shot on the ice — which was kicked away by Spencer Martin. However, Verheaghe was in the perfect spot to bury the rebound for the game winner. 

 

Verhaeghe’s fourth goal of the season would complete the 5-4 late-game comeback in OT. 

 

“That’s why he’s on the ice in overtime, head coach Paul Maurice said. “If he can get a break and get it on his stick something good might happen.”


The Panthers improve their record to 6-4-1 on thee season. They’ll hit the road Wednesday for a matchup against the Washington Capitals.

Barkov and Bobrovsky hit career milestones in Panthers 2-0 win over Red Wings

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The Florida Panthers bounced back from their recent overtime loss in Boston, defeating the Detroit Red Wings 2-0 on Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena.

 

On the shoulders of Sergei Bobrovsky’s 22-save shutout performance, the Panthers improved their record to 5-3-1.

 

Here’s tonight’s takeaways. 

 

Not a special night for special-teams 

In a game that saw 10 total power plays, shockingly there were no special-teams goals. 

 

The Panthers and Red Wings each had five chances on the man-advantage Thursday night, yet neither side could capitalize with an extra man. 

 

Entering Thursday’s game Florida’s power play ranked 23rd in the league at just 14.3 percent. While they had nine shots on their five power play attempts — the man-advantage continued to struggle, going 0 for 5 on the night. 

 

Compared to Florida, Detroit’s power play had been quite successful prior to Thursday’s matchup, ranking fourth in the league (32.4 percent).

 

Florida was able to keep the dangerous Wings power play from igniting, killing off all five of their opportunities. 

 

“I think our penalty kill is a lot like our powerplay. The numbers aren’t very good at all,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “But, we’ve been perfect in our last three games… They battled hard. We won faceoffs, they blocked shots and we got saves, that’s penalty killing.”

 

Steven Lorentz gets his first goal as a Panther

Ever since Steven Lorentz arrived in South Florida this summer, the 27-year-old has been all smiles.

 

Thursday night there was another reason for Lorentz to be happy — he scored his first goal with the Panthers.

 

With the game still scoreless in the final minute of the second period, Lorentz would break the deadlock.

 

Coming into the Detroit zone down the left side, Lorentz sent a relatively harmless shot on goal towards Red Wings goalie James Reimer.  The puck would bounce off Reimer’s glove, onto the crossbar, then off Reimer’s back before going in the net.

 

“It felt good,” Lorentz said about his goal. “Anytime you get a goal in the first or last minute of the period it’s a bit of a backbreaker for the other team.”

 

It was definitely a weird series of events leading up to the goal that gave Florida a 1-0 lead — but they don’t ask how it went in on the box score.

 

The goal was also Lorentz’s first point of the season. 

 

Sergei Bobrovsky gets first shutout of the season, plays 650th career game

It’s been a busy start to the regular season for Florida’s No. 1 goalie. Bobrovsky has started all but one of Florida’s nine games so far this season, and tonight was a milestone night for the Russian netminder. 

 

Bobrovsky became the 41st goaltender in the history of the National Hockey League to play in 650 career games.

 

“It’s a great win,” Bobrovsky said postgame. “You don’t think too much about your personal achievements. I think we all focus now on the standings and that team (Detroit) is ahead of us.”

 

On his big night, Bobrovsky would stop all 22 shots he faced  — picking up his 39th career shutout, and first since December 13, 2022 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

 

“Bobby obviously stood on his head,” Lorentz said. “Game 650, that’s an unbelievable accomplishment, and what a way to show it, him coming out here and getting a shutout.”

 

Bobrosvky is now at four wins on the season.

 

Aleksander Barkov sets franchise record

On the same night as Bobrovsky’s milestone, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov became the franchises’ all-time leader in games played with 672. 

 

Drafted second-overall in 2013 by the Panthers, Barkov has been with the organization since he was 17-years-old. 

 

The once baby faced Barkov has evolved into one of the best two-way forwards in the NHL and a face of hockey in South Florida. 

 

“He does it all. He can do everything,” Bobrovsky said about Barkov. “If you give him goalie gear he’s going to be great at it. It’s great to have him on the team.”

 

Tonight Barkov surpassed his former teammate and friend Jonathan Huberdeau for sole possession of the Panthers’ franchise record for games played. 

 

At 28-years-old, Barkov is already in year 11 of his NHL career. Over the last decade, the Finnish forward has gained respect from his teammates, coaches, and opponents across hockey. 

 

“He hasn’t changed, he’s the exact same player,” said Dmitry Kulikov — who was with Florida when Barkov was a rookie. “He came into the league good and he’s still really good.”

Panthers lose playoff rematch in overtime to Bruins

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The last time the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins played each other, an underdog Panthers team shocked the hockey world —  knocking off the record-setting Presidents’ Trophy winners in Game 7 overtime.

 

Winning the series after trailing 3-1, this comeback would be the start of what eventually led to Florida’s surprising run to the Stanley Cup Final as the eighth-seed — exactly six months ago at the TD Garden. 

 

Half a year later, Florida returned to Boston tonight for their matchup since the playoffs. 

 

Despite being a regular season matchup — no matter how you see it — this wasn’t just an October regular season game. The Panthers put a shocking end to a Bruins season that many thought could lead to a Stanley Cup — this one meant more to Boston.

 

“It’s not 1 of 82,” Bruins’ head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters this morning. “No. They ended our season. They went all the way to the Finals. Our summers were miserable until the Finals were over. And that’s because they beat us. So yeah, this means more.”

 

In what could be seen as a revenge game for Boston, it was expected that the Bruins would come out of the gates strong. However, the team to first break the ice on Monday were the visiting Panthers.

 

6:12 into the first period, Florida’s captain Aleksander Barkov scored his second goal of the season, beating Linus Ullmark below the glove off the rush to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. 

 

Florida controlled the pace of play in the first period. Boston struggled to retain o-zone time — while the Panthers were quick to transition the other way.

 

Less than 10 minutes after opening the scoring, Florida’s top line would double the lead.

 

From behind the net, Barkov layed a pass towards the front of the slot right to Sam Reinhart. Reinhart, who leads the Panthers in goals, didn’t waste his chance to increase his goal numbers, scoring his eighth of the season to give Florida a 2-0 lead with 4:52 remaining in the first. 

 

The Barkov-Reinhart duo would both finish the period with a goal and an assist. 

 

After what was their best opening period of the season, Florida went into the intermission leading 2-0 — outshooting Boston 16-6.

 

Following a lackluster opening 20 minutes, the Bruins looked much more like themselves when they came out for the second.

 

Trailing by two, Bruins’ captain Brad Marchand would be the man to get his team on the board. While Boston forward Jake DeBrusk drove the play down towards the left side of Sergei Bobrovsky, Marchand got just enough of his body away from Gustav Forsling to get a blade on DeBrusk’s pass, tipping in his fifth goal of the season 3:38 into the second.

 

Boston was the better team in the second. They pushed the pace of play and had Florida on the ropes for much of the period. They outshot the Panthers 14-9 in that frame.

 

Another storyline entering tonight’s game was the season debut of Panthers forward Sam Bennett. Bennett — who missed the first seven games of the season with a lower-body injury — got the green light to play on Monday night. 

 

Drawing down the middle on Florida’s second-line, Bennett immediately showed the drive and physicality he has been known for in Florida. Unfortunately, the excitement of Bennett’s return was cut short early in the second after the forward left the game with an apparent leg injury. 

 

Bennett’s left leg  — which was previously injured — took slight contact from Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm in front of Boston’s net. Bennett immediately went down  in visible pain. He didn’t return to the game after being helped off the ice by Panthers trainers.

 

The Bruins second period push was dangerous, but it would only amount to one goal. Florida went into the final intermission leading 2-1.

 

With just a single goal separating the two sides, the third period was setting up to be a good one.

 

After trailing 2-0 earlier in the game, Boston would erase Florida’s lead 7:20 into the third.

 

With the puck in the Panthers’ zone, David Pastrnak hit a streaking Charlie McAvoy in front of goal. McAvoy did his way past Bobrovsky to tie the game at 2-2.

 

McAvoy’s goal levelled things in the third, however minutes later a dumb mistake by the defenseman ended his night, and put the Panthers on an extended power play. Ekman-Larsson left the game, and did not return.

McAvoy would be assessed a match penalty after he hit Oliver Ekman-Larsson up high, and away from the puck. His night was done, and Florida went to a five-minute power play.

 

Florida had a glorious opportunity to reclaim their lead following the Bruins’ major penalty around the midway point of the third. Florida’s power play, which was 0/2 on the night remained cold through the entire five-minute man-advantage. The Panthers only got six shots on goal over the course of the long power play — Boston killed it off to keep the game tied.

 

After regulation the game remained tied. As they did twice in the playoffs, there would be overtime in Boston.

 

Last time the two sides played each other in overtime, Florida came out on top.  While the stakes weren’t as high tonight, Boston got what they were looking for in OT.

 

With 1:24 left in overtime, Boston caught Florida off the rush with two of their forwards behind the play. With a full head of steam, Pavel Zacha’s wrist shot beat Bobrovsky blocker side for the game-winning goal.

 

The Bruins improved their season record to 8-0-1. tonight, while the Panthers picked up a point as they moved to 4-3-1 on the year.

Panthers wrap up homestand with 3-2 win over Kraken

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SUNRISE — The Panthers wrapped up their first homestand of the season Saturday night with a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken. 

 

After trailing 2-0 in the second period, the Panthers would rally back for their fourth win of the season. 

 

Tonight’s scoring was opened by former Panther Jared McCann. 7:58 into the first, McCann pulled a slick forehand-backhand mov to beat Sergei Bobrovsky to give the Kraken a 1-0 lead.

 

After holding a one goal lead for the remainder of the first, Seattle would add to their lead 7:34 into the second period. Whilst screening Bobrovsky, Eeli Tolvanen redirected Jaden Schwartz’s shot in for his first goal of the season — Seattle lead 2-0.

 

Less than a minute after conceding their second goal of the night, the Panthers went to the power play for the first time in the game.



With the second unit starting the power play, Gustav Forsling would get the Panthers on the board. From the top of the point, Forsling walked into a one-timer after Anton Lundell fed him near the top of the zone. Forsling’s first goal off the season would cut the Kraken’s lead in half. 

 

“It’s nice to be honest,” Forsling said about scoring his first goal of the year. “It gets some confidence but you know it’s not really my job to score, but it’s always nice.”

 

Riding high on momentum after getting on the board, Florida would add to their total — tying the game just 11 seconds later.  

 

Similar to Seattle’s second goal of the night, Florida would tie the game off a deflection from in front. Sitting in the slot, Matthew Tkachuk tipped in a point shot from Dmitry Kulikov for  his first goal of the season. The game was tied at 2-2.

 

“That tip is how he scores so many of his goals,” head coach Paul Maurice said postgame. “It’s good that he got back to feeling good about them.”

 

With the Panthers buzzing off their two unanswered goals, Sam Reinhart appeared to give the Panthers the lead with his eighth goal of the season. Seattle decided to challenge the play for offsides. Upon review, Reinhart was in fact offsides. The goal would come back, and the two sides would go into the final break tied at 2-2. Reinhart would not get that goal back tonight, officially ending his goal streak at five games. 

 

Still tied late into the third, with a little luck on their side, Florida would take the lead. 

 

Josh Mahura rimmed the puck into Seattle’s zone for what looked to be a routine dump-in. Unfortunately for Kraken goalie Joey Daccord, the puck would take a weird bounce off the boards, bouncing out to the front of the net right to an unmarked Nick Cousins. All Cousins had to do was tap the puck into an open goal to give Florida the lead with 5:52 remaining in the third. 

 

“I thought our line did a lot of good things well, I thought we had lots of chances to put the puck in the net,”  Cousins said. “Obviously we get a fortunate enough bounce there in the third.”

 

The rest of the way out, Sergei Bobrovsky would keep the door shut for the Panthers. He’d end the night with 30 saves in what would be his third win of the season.


The Panthers set the tone early on in the season at home — finishing off their first homestand of the season with a 3-1-0 record.

 

“You’ve got to feel good at home,” Maurice said. “Our travel is different than most other teams’ travel… the road can be a real grind for us, home has to be a good place.”

 

Florida will hit the road for a three-game road trip, with their next stop in familiar territory – Boston.

Florida Panthers weekend update: October 27

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SUNRISE — It’s been a couple days since the Florida Panthers last played against San Jose on Tuesday.


With a few days between games, here’s a few status updates ahead of Saturday’s game against the Seattle Kraken.

 

Lineup Updates

 

Sasha Barkov missed Tuesday’s game with an illness. The Panthers’ captain was a full participant in Friday’s practice. He will be in the lineup on Saturday. 

 

“I’m good. I was on the ice so I felt good,” Barkov said after Friday’s practice. “You never want to miss games, but sometimes you have to take care of things and get better.”

 

Sergei Bobrovksy will be the starter against the Kraken — his sixth start of the season. Anthony Stolarz started in Tuesday night’s win against the Sharks.

 

Sam Bennett (lower-body) skated this morning but did not stay on with the main group for practice. He will be a game-time decision tomorrow. If he’s in, it will be his first game of the season.

 

Dmitry Kulikov (illness) was not at practice today. Head coach Paul Maurice said Kulikov is “under the weather”, and would also be a game-time decision. If Kulikov can’t go, Mike Reilly is expected to take his place. Reilly hasn’t played yet this season. 

 

Mackie Samoskevich was a late call up for Tuesday’s game with Barkov out. The 20-year-old is still on the active roster, per the NHL Media Site — however he was not at practice this morning. It looks like he’ll be going back to Charlotte. 

 

Jonah Gadjovich (upper-body) skated in his second full practice this week as the extra forward. He’s still a bit away from being game ready. 

 

Panthers next game

 

Saturday, Oct. 28 against the Seattle Kraken. Puck drop is 6 p.m. at Amerant Bank Arena (Sunrise).

Panthers drop home game in 5-3 loss to Canucks

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SUNRISE — Saturday night at Amerant Bank Arena played host to an East vs West matchup between the Florida Panthers and visiting Vancouver Canucks. 

 

​​The Panthers were able to overcome a two goal deficit to tie the game in the third period —  but a late goal by Andrei Kuzmenko would end up being the winner tonight for the Canucks on route to a 5-3 victory.

 

Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes opened the scoring at 11:09 in the first period with a wrist shot goal from the point on the power play. The Canucks’ captain beat Panthers’ goalie Sergei Bobrovsky for his first goal of the season.

 

The Canucks’ lead wouldn’ last long however. Just 20 seconds later, Florida’s captain Aleksander Barkov would tie the game up on a breakaway, slipping the backhand deke past Canucks’ goalie Casey DeSmith, evening the score at 1-1.

 

After 20, the two sides would go into the intermission tied. Vancouver led the shot department 15-11. 

 

The start of the second was very similar to that of the first. There weren’t too many offensive chances either way for the first half of the period, and the score remained even. 

 

Just before the midway point of the period, the Canucks would get their second power play of the night. 

 

Florida was almost able to get out of their second kill of the night… almost.

 

With two seconds left on the man-advantage, defenseman Carson Soucy walked into the slot untouched, before he roofed his first goal of the season past Bobrovsky. Vancouver regained the lead 10:31 into second — going up 2-1.

 

The Panthers conceded twice shorthanded tonight.

 

“That will kill you, if you can’t clear the puck,” Paul Maurice said about the penalty kill postgame. “We got to be able to get it down, win those battles.”

 

Unlike the first period, where Florida immediately answered Vancouver’s opening score, the Canucks carried the momentum after their second power play goal of the night. 

 

Less than two minutes after taking the lead, Vancouver would add another goal to their total.

 

Sitting atop the hash marks, Elias Pettersson quickly caught and released a pass from Andrei Kuzmenko, beating Bobrovsky for his second goal of the season  — Vancouver went up 3-1 after scoring two unanswered. 

 

Vancouver was all over the Panthers in the second, limiting the Panthers to just six shots on net. Florida went into the second intermission trailing 3-1.

 

Down two in the third, the Panthers needed life. They got that jumpstart from two of their top scorers.

 

With increased pressure on their forecheck, Florida controlled much needed o-zone time, and after a few shifts deep in Vancouver territory, Sam Reinhart got the Panthers back into the game.

 

After taking a lap around the Canucks zone, Evan Rodrigues layed a shot on net. DeSmith made the initial save, however Sam Reinhart, sitting atop the blue paint, put away the rebound for his team high fifth goal of the season. The Canucks lead was 3-2 with over 13 minutes to play.

 

Reinhart — who is from the Vancouver area — wasn’t done just yet. 

 

With just over six minutes left in the third, Reinhart would get his second of the night from in front of the crease again — evening it up at 3-3. Reinhart is now has six goals in as many games on the season.

 

“Just try to find open ice around the net it’s kind of falling for me,” Reinhart said about his goal contributions.

 

Florida got back in the game, and so did their home fans. However, all the momentum they built up to that moment wouldn’t last long.

 

62 seconds after Reinhart tied the game, a defensive mishap in the Panthers’ zone caused two defenseman to go for the puck behind the net, leaving a streaking Andrei Kuzmenko open in front of goal. Kuzmenko easily took the puck around Bobrovsky to bury the eventual game winning goal.

 

Brock Boeser would ice the game with an empty netter — Vancouver got out of Sunrise with two points in a 5-3 win. 

Panthers defeat Leafs 3-1 in home opener, Bobrovsky moves to second on all-time wins list

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SUNRISE — After starting the season off on a three-game road trip, the Florida Panthers were back at Amerant Bank Arena for their 2023-2024 home opener.

 

The Panthers got their home schedule off on the right foot, winning Thursday night’s game 3-1  against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

 

Before puck drop fans were welcomed to the arena with the unveiling of Florida’s 2022-2023 Eastern Conference Champions banner.

 

Toronto was the second team Florida defeated on their way to the Stanley Cup Final last season — knocking out the Leafs in five games. 

 

Similar to last season’s playoff series, tonight’s contest was another close one between the two Atlantic Division teams.

 

17:08 into the game, the first goal of the night was scored by Florida’s Kevin Stenlund, his first as a Panther.

 

Playing high in the zone near the top of the faceoff circle, Stenlund corralled a loose puck and rifled the puck past Ilya Samsonov’s blocker side — giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead. 

 

Stenlund had a big home debut tonight, and was entrusted by Paul Maurice down the stretch defensively. He capped off his night with a big blocked shot and a beauty mark on his cheek to go with it.

 

“It’s great to get that confidence,” Stenlund said about the trust  given to him by the coaching staff. “Obviously it pulls yourself up, it’s just fun to play.”   

 

With seven seconds left in the first, Oliver Ekman-Larsson joined Stenlund in the first goal as a Panther column.

 

Receiving a pass from Sasha Barkov at the top of the point, Ekman-Larsson walked the  blueline, firing a shot through a set of screens — beating Samsonov up high to put the Panthers 2-0 heading into the intermission. 

 

Toronto would keep Florida relatively at bay to start the second frame, before getting their first goal of the night. 

 

Midway through the second with the Leafs on the power play, Sergei Bobrovksy made the initial save on John Tavares’ one-timer, but he couldn’t reset quickly enough to stop Mitch Marner — who was sitting atop the blue paint.

 

Marner grabbed the rebound, pulled the puck to his backhand and beat Bobrovsky — getting the Leafs on the board 11:52 into the second. 

 

The remainder of the second would see no more scoring for either side. Toronto would enter the second intermission ahead in the shot count 23-17, but still down a goal. 

 

The third period was another tight one. The two sides locked it down defensively, and the goaltenders stood tall. 

 

Still trailing by one late in the third, Toronto pulled their goalie with 2:10 left in regulation for an extra attacker. The Leafs would get one more lifeline to tie the game a minute later after Barkov was sent to the box for tripping Marner with 1:09 to go.

 

With the extra attacker and a power play, Toronto threw everything they could towards Sergei Bobrovsky in the Panthers net. 


The Panthers penalty killers were able to clog the lanes, blocking three shots in the final seconds. Sam Reinhart put the icing on the cake, burying an empty netter with .01 left in the game.

 

Florida would take their first home game of the season 3-1, winning an early four-point swing against a division opponent. 

 

“Everybody put their bodies on the line,” Matthew Tkachuk said post game. “We saw what it was like last year, we got in by one point so these points matter.”

Bobrovsky was the first star of the night with 30 saves on 31 shots. Tonight’s win also moved the goaltender into second place on the Panthers all-time wins list with 107.

“I think you’re going to appreciate it more after your career,” Bobrovsky said post game. “Right now, I enjoy being in this locker room, being part of this team. I’m so happy.”

The Panthers have three more games left on their current home stretch.  They’ll be back on the ice Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks.

Top Strategies for Combining NHL History with Social Studies Curriculum

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The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America. Founded in 1917, it is widely considered the world’s premier professional ice hockey league. Integrating NHL (National Hockey League) history into a social studies curriculum can make the learning experience engaging and relatable for students. Here are some top strategies for combining NHL history with the social studies curriculum.

Historical Case Studies

Select significant events or periods in NHL history and explore those times’ social, economic, and cultural contexts. Compare the NHL’s growth and changes to concurrent social and political events. Students in college can learn a lot by doing their final case studies or essay writing assignments on NHL players with the assistance of PhD thesis writers. For example, study how NHL expansion in the 1960s mirrored societal changes during that era.

Biographical Studies

The NHL has a passionate fan base worldwide, with fans in North America, Europe, and beyond, contributing to its status as a global sports league. Study the lives of prominent NHL players, coaches, or team owners, emphasizing their contributions beyond the ice. Investigate how players like Willie O’Ree and Grant Fuhr broke racial barriers or explore the philanthropic efforts of players in their communities. Discuss the social impact of their actions.

Economic Impact Analysis

Hockey, and, by extension, the NHL, has become deeply ingrained in the cultural fabric of regions where it’s played, particularly in Canada, the United States, and Nordic countries. Examine the economic impact of NHL teams on their cities and regions. Study the economic benefits of having an NHL team, including job creation, tourism, and local businesses. Discuss the financial implications of building arenas and hosting major events like the Stanley Cup.

Social Issues in Hockey

The league has focused on player safety, introducing measures to reduce concussions and enhance overall player well-being. It also continues to promote diversity and inclusivity in the sport. Analyze social issues such as gender equality, diversity, and inclusion within the context of the NHL. Discuss the growth of women’s hockey, LGBTQ+ inclusion initiatives, and the challenges faced by minority players. Explore how these issues reflect broader social movements.

Geography and Team Locations

Integrate geography by studying the locations of NHL teams and their significance. Explore the geography of team locations, discussing how climate, culture, and regional traditions influence hockey culture. Compare NHL teams’ home cities, examining the similarities and differences in their social landscapes.

Historical Timeline Projects

The NHL has been home to legendary players like Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe, and many other highest-paid players, each leaving an indelible mark on the sport. Create a timeline of significant events in NHL history, aligning them with major social and political events. Have students research and place events like expansions, strikes, or championship wins on a timeline alongside historical events. Analyze the connections between these occurrences.

Media Literacy and Sports Journalism

The NHL has seen historic events such as the Summit Series (1972) between Canada and the Soviet Union, the “Miracle on Ice” during the 1980 Winter Olympics, and outdoor games like the Winter Classic, which became popular in the 2000s. Explore how media coverage and narratives shape public perception of NHL events and players. Study sports journalism ethics, biases, and the impact of media on public opinion. Analyze how media portrays social issues in hockey, including race, gender, and player conduct.

Debates and Discussions

The NHL saw an influx of international players, particularly from European countries, in the 1980s and 1990s, adding diversity to the league. Organize debates or panel discussions on controversial topics related to NHL history and its societal impact. Engage students in debates about issues like fighting in hockey, salary caps, or the impact of concussions. Encourage critical thinking and research to support arguments.

Civic Engagement and Team Communities

Investigate how NHL teams contribute to their communities and promote civic engagement. Research team-sponsored charitable activities, community outreach programs, and environmental initiatives. Discuss the importance of sports teams in fostering community pride and engagement. Collaborate with other subjects like math, art, or language arts to create well-rounded projects related to NHL history.

 

Final Thoughts

The NHL’s rich history is a testament to the enduring appeal of ice hockey and the league’s ability to evolve, adapt, and capture the imagination of fans across generations. By combining NHL history with social studies curriculum using these strategies, educators can create a dynamic, engaging, and interdisciplinary learning experience that helps students understand the evolution of hockey and its profound impact on society.