3 Takeaways from the Florida Panthers & Chicago Blackhawks Game 02/01/2025

The Panthers came out with energy on their Saturday manatee against Chicago. Ignoring the first seven seconds of the game, Florida controlled the game from start to finish. Even when the Blackhawks were able to apply pressure in the second and third periods, the defense and Bobrovsky denied every scoring chance. The Cats’ top line of Verhaeghe-Barkov-Reinhart took over completely with a full-game effort from the team behind them for the 5-1 final score. The win marked several milestones or records for players and coaches, and the two points give Florida a secure lead in the Atlantic regardless of how the Toronto/Edmonton game shakes out. A win extends the points differential to three, while a loss cuts it back down to one.

Dominate Top Line:

Florida’s top line was unmatched against Chicago. Verhaeghe, Barkov, and Reinhart showed why they’re one of the most dangerous lines in the NHL, with two goals and five assists between them. Carter led all players with nine SOGs to tie his single-game career high, Reinhart had four, and Barkov had three. Reinhart’s goal came midway through the first period off a beautiful feed from Barkov through traffic that he tapped in for the 2-1 lead. Verhaeghe’s goal came midway through the final period on a cross-ice pass from Reinhart that went through Barkov in the center to Carter on the far side. He redirected it into a wide-open net for the 5-1 lead and a power play goal. It looked like it was going to be another day where Verhaeghe doesn’t get rewarded for his effort, as he hit yet another post in the first period and had great scoring chances in the first two periods. It’s good for his confidence to know that he can still score goals even though they’ve been tough to come by this season. With Reinhart typically marked as the higher danger threat that may open things up for Carter moving forward. Even with managed minutes the top line had its fingerprints on every aspect of the game. Barkov and Reinhart had minimal time on the PK, with just 35 and 45 seconds, respectively, over the three PKs. Reinhart earned first-star honors, Verhaeghe was the second star, and Barkov rounded it out as the third star.

Full 60 Minutes:

It wasn’t just the top line that got things done this match was a full team effort for the entire game. Chicago didn’t come out to play in the first period despite scoring seven seconds into the game. The Panthers responded by outshooting them 22-3, two goals, and hit three posts in just the opening twenty minutes. Jonah Gadjovich, in his return from injury, got the Cats on the board first as he put a loose puck in the crease to the back of the net to tie the game 1-1 en route to a 2-1 lead at the first break. The Blackhawks generated more pressure in the second period but Matthew Tkachuk’s goal with just over 3:30 on the clock extended the lead to 3-1. Verhaeghe made the pass to Reinhart in the slot who then took the shot for Tkachuk to tip in past Mrazek. Hard and quick work at the endboards by Lundell got the puck to Rodrigues, who ripped it in the top shelf just under the crossbar for the 4-1 lead just ten seconds into the final period. The third and fourth lines were rewarded extra ice time as HC Paul Maurice managed the minutes for his top players leading into the Four Nations Face-off. Only Gadjovich was under ten minutes of ice time, but that’s just barely under as he ended the day with 9:54 TOI. Nosek and Greer were both above their TOI average for the season, with 13:41 and 10:34, respectively. The Cats had the forecheck going early and often forcing turnovers and establishing the physicality. Greer led the Panthers with six hits with Bennett and Boqivst both tallying four hits. Florida ended the game with one of their highest SOG of the season at 44 and one of their best performances against the Blackhawks.

Milestones and Records:

More than one record book had Panthers making their mark. Mikkola hit the 300-game mark, Barkov had his 200th career multi-point game, and HC Paul Maurice earned his 900th career win to become the fourth NHL coach ever to hit the milestone. In his post-game interview, HC Paul Maurice had this to say, “It means you’re old, you’re fortunate, for sure, and that you’ve coached a lot of really good players.” Samson Reinhart etched his name into Florida Panther history books last season and has continued that into this year. His goal against the Blackhawks was his 30th goal of the season and his fourth 30+ goal season of his career. Not only that, but all four of his 30+ goal seasons have come with the Panthers, dating back to his first season with the team. By reaching the milestone again this year, Reinhart becomes the first Panther to ever have four straight seasons of 30 goals or more while also tying the franchise record for 30 campaigns; Olli Jokinen also had four seasons of 30+ goals, but they weren’t consecutive. The Panthers take on the New York Islanders on Sunday for the second half of their back-to-back.