It was an exciting week for the Panthers. Two players were selected for the NHL All-Star Game up in Toronto, Sam Reinhart and Sergei Bobrovsky, as the Florida Representative & Fan Vote. The Cats were looking to avenge some earlier season losses against St. Louis & LA and celebrated their 30th anniversary season. A visit from the New Jersey Devils rounded out the week of games on Saturday. Overall, this week gave viewers more of what we’ve seen over the last three weeks during the win streak: excellent specialty teams, goaltending, and strong team chemistry. The success may be starting to drain the team a bit as we started to see more shots going wide or hitting posts and opponents’ defense blocking a high number of chances. There’s plenty to talk about and take away from the games, so here’s my deep dive recap for this week.
St. Louis:
Florida started the week off still on the road, wrapping up their four-game away trip in St. Louis. This would be the second meeting between the two teams, and the Cats were looking for redemption after losing the first match on home ice. The Blues were the last loss the Panthers had before their current 7-game win streak started, so it was possibly shaping up to be a full circle moment. Reinhart earned NHL First Star honors after an impressive performance last week and getting the Florida All-Star selection. Stolarz got the start in the net after Bobrovsky started the last three games, Tkachuk’s line would take the opening face-off, and Mikkola & Montour started for the defense; Hoffer was between the pipes for the Blues. Montour would get the first shot off for Florida, and Tkachuk’s first chance went through the crease. The opening four minutes of play was mostly back and forth, with neither team getting extended time in the offensive zone. Stolarz’s first big save of the night came with 16:50 left, but not even 20 seconds later, Brayden Schenn would capitalize on a loose puck to score for St. Louis, 0-1. The Blues take the least penalties in the league averaging 6 penalty minutes a game, but that would not be the case for this match. The Panthers would get the first power play of the night after Lundell got tripped by Scott Perunovich. Barkov and Tkachuk would get a couple of shots off that Hoffer would save, but the Blues killed the penalty. Lockwood had an amazing breakaway chase with 12:40 to go but, unfortunately, wasn’t able to find the back of the net. Verhaeghe nearly had a goal; however, Hoffer got his pads around the puck to keep it from crossing the goal line. With just under 8:30 left in the period, Tkachuk went to the box for tripping Torey Krug. The Blues would have a one-timer shot hit the crossbar, and the other shot would be saved. Florida would kill the penalty with 6:16 left on the clock. After some back and forth up and down the ice, Stenlund would score for the Panthers with Lockwood on the assist and 4:04 left to play. Stolarz came up with a big glove save, keeping the game tied, and tempers flared late between Ekman-Larrson and Pavel Buchnevich, with them both receiving penalties, grabbing the visor and roughing, respectively. With 00.25.6 left on the clock, Forsling got tripped by Jordan Kyrou, and the period would end tied 1-1.
The second period would start with Florida on a 4v3 power play, shots from Barkov and Reinhart both got knocked early. A familiar play had Tkachuk setting up Reinhart, who shot to score with 18:49 on the clock, a 2-1 lead for the Cats. Reinhart has now scored 29 goals on the season and an impressive 18 goals on the road. The Blues would get their own power play chance after Bennet got sent to the penalty box for a high-sticking double minor. Stolarz was all over the pucks shot at him during the four-minute PP, using his entire 6’6 body to kick pucks away or cover. It would be Barkov with the heroics, though, as a puck ended up behind Stolarz, who lost track of it and got it out of the crease. With the penalty killed there was more back and forth midway through the 2nd, Barkov, Verhaeghe, and Mikkola all took shots at the net but none of them got through. The Blues would go back on the power play when Lundell headed to the box for high sticking as the period wound down. Time ran out in the 2nd, and Florida would keep the 2-1 lead.
The third opened with the Cats killing off the rest of the penalty with 18:08 on the clock. In the third period, the Panthers have been deadly since the start of the win streak, with them scoring at least one goal in the 3rd every single game, but oftentimes more than that. Coming into this match, Florida was out-scoring opponents 17-5 in the final twenty minutes. St. Louis would be no different as Matthew Tkachuk would score with 17:42 left to play and Carter Verhaeghe on the assist. Stolarz got a great save off a shot from Kyru from the high slot. Tkachuk would strike again by tipping in a shot from Forsling at 14:03 to play in the 3rd, and the lead was now 4-1. Oscar Sundqvist fought with Jonah Gadjovich; both would take penalties—Sundqvist to the box for boarding and Gadjovich for roughing. The Blues would have strong puck possession during the 4v4; however, Stolarz had the saves to answer their shots. The 4v4 got killed on both sides, but Florida would get one more power play when Robert Thomas high-sticked Lomberg. The Panthers would hold the offensive zone and had quick passing to create opportunity, but St. Louis would kill the penalty. Just over three and a half minutes left on the clock, the Blues would pull the goalie, leaving Tkachuk a wide-open net to score on with .56.7 left for the natural hat trick and a 5-1 final score. Florida extended the win streak to 8 games and swept through its road trip.
LA:
With a successful road trip in the books, the Cats returned home to Amerant Arena to play the LA Kings. A clash between two of the best defenses in the league was brewing, with Florida set to celebrate their 30th anniversary and a 90’s themed night for the fans to enjoy. The top lines for both teams would be significant as Barkov’s line sat at a +23 goal differential, and LA’s top line had a +15 differential. Bobrovsky was back in the net after getting a night off in St. Louis. This would be another redemption chance for the Panthers since LA had won the last meeting, but the Kings were coming in off a six game losing streak. LA would get control early and start the game outshooting Florida. Bob was locked in coming up with the necessary saves while the Kings controlled the Panthers’ defensive zone. The Cats would get some time in the offensive zone getting shots from Lomberg, Rodrigues, and Reinhart, although they’d all get saved or go high. There was nastiness early between Ekman-Larsson and Arthur Kaliyev as they got into a fight after a hard hit from OEL & a slash from Kaliyev. This set the tone for the night for how the officiating would go, as no penalties were called on either player. It was going to be a night full of blatant penalties not getting called and an especially questionable penalty in the second period. Verhaeghe got a good shot off a setup from Tkachuk; however, it was saved, and then there was some shoving between Mikkola and Trevor Lewis. For the second straight game, the opponent would break the ice off of a loose puck chance, and Trevor Moore would give LA the lead with 13:43 left to play in the opening period. Verhaeghe, Reinhart, and Kulikov all got shot opportunities midway through the period, but none of them converted, either going wide or getting saved. The Kings came in with the strategy to enter the zone up the middle to split the defense, and it’s been successful during the 1st period as LA controlled most of the offensive zone time; Florida adjusted late to clog up the middle and force play out to the boards. Loustrainen and Dubois got into a fight in front of the Kings’ bench late in the period, Dubois went to the penalty box for roughing. Philip Danault got injured when he went head-first into the boards and couldn’t protect himself; it wasn’t a dirty hit from Florida, but it was an unfortunate result. Barkov, Tkachuk, and Verhaeghe all got shots during the power play; however, none would find the net. LA would keep the 0-1 lead at the end of the first period.
Danault would be back on the ice for the 2nd period, so thankfully, the injury wasn’t too serious. Tkachuk blocked a shot early to keep the deficit at 1 goal, but the Kings were still controlling the zone time to start the 2nd. The Florida PK would have to get to work when Reinhart went to the box for tripping, a call he wasn’t happy about. Specialty teams continues to be a big strength for the Panthers, they didn’t allow a shot during the PK. LA would continue to dominate the offensive zone time for the first half of the period, but defensive prowess would hold them to only a single shot on goal. More roughing penalties came, with Kulikov and Kempe getting into a fight with 12:52 left to play. Bennett had a great opportunity but wasn’t able to get a shot on Talbot. LA took another penalty, this time Kevin Fiala, the offender, for slashing. Florida’s offense was struggling to find gaps in the Kings’ defense, with Barkov & Tkachuk’s shots getting blocked, Reinhart’s went wide, and Rodrigues’ getting saved. Bennett would be the player with the answer as he scored just after the power play ended, tying the game 1-1 with 9:02 to play. For the first time in Bennett’s career, he has had goals in back-to-back games. A blatant elbow from Kempe on Forsling didn’t get called with just over 6 minutes left. LA held the zone time in the last 5 minutes of the 2nd period. Bob had a great poke check just before Ekblad went to the box for holding on the most controversial penalty called on the night. There were less than 30 seconds left on the clock but the Kings made the most of it, a slap shot would score with 20 seconds to play. The crowd was extremely displeased with the holding call on Ekblad and were chanting, “Refs, you suck.” loud enough you could hear it through the TV stream. Florida would head into the 3rd period with a 2-1 deficit, not something they’re used to as of late.
The 3rd period looked to be more of the same for Florida, with plenty of shots on goal or shot chances, but none of them found the back of the net. This was a very gritty game for both teams as the defense just wasn’t allowing much to get through, with plenty of players putting their bodies on the line to block shots. There was more back and forth between the teams for the first half of the period and plenty of board battles along the sides. In what was probably the biggest frustration of the night, Montour had a wide-open net to shoot at, but the shot hit the post. Forsling got called for a tripping penalty with 6:26 left to play; however, the PK went to work again and killed off the PP without allowing a single shot on goal. Time was winding down so Coach Paul Maurice pulled Bobrovsky for the man advantage, not even 30 seconds later Tkachuk tipped in a shot from Verhaeghe to tie the game 2-2 and send it to overtime. Once again LA held the offensive zone time early during the 3v3 and even got a shot that looked like it went in, however, it ended up hitting the post instead. The Cats would answer with its own shot that also hit the post. Kempe took a crosschecking penalty with 1:23 left on the OT clock; Coach Paul Maurice called a time-out before the PP began. Time ticked down and a shootout was looming, with one last chance Reinhart came in with the heroics & scored off a backhand shot with 00.7 on the clock. The win streak extends to 9 games, Reinhart is still red hot with 30 goals on the season now, and Florida prepares to take on New Jersey at home on Saturday night.
New Jersey:
Spirits were high headed into Saturday night; Florida was on a nine-game win streak and on the hunt to make it 10. During the win streak, the Cats were out-scoring opponents 39-17, with Reinhart and Tkachuk scoring goals in every game since the start of 2024. Verhaeghe’s line would start for the forwards, Forsling-Ekblad pairing on defense, and Bobrovsky back in the net; Daws would be the goaltender for New Jersey. Things looked good for the Panthers early as two shots hit posts within the first couple of minutes of play. New Jersey, despite having several key players out with injury, is still a dangerous team with a lot of speed & quick in transition. The Devils would break the ice just under 4 minutes into the 1st period on a deflected shot from Alexander Holtz that went up and over Bobrovsky’s shoulder. There was no panic on Forida’s side, though, as they’ve given up the first goal in the previous two games against St. Louis and LA. There was a great chance from both Forsling and Lockwood to get a response goal, but Daws was there with the stops. The Cats were doing well holding the offensive zone time and executing quick line changes while in the O-zone. Ekblad had his shot blocked & Forsling’s went wide in what would be a trend throughout the whole game. Bob made a big save off a puck that got loose after a Devils’ shot. Matthew Tkachuk took exception to a Jersey player taking a shot after the officials blew the whistle, so a small scrap started behind the Florida net. Barkov took an impressive shot; however, Daws had an equally impressive save. Gadjovic and Rodrigues would also be denied by Daws, who made a glove save and a blocker save. Jersey would strike again, with 5:15 on the clock, McLeod’s shot found its way through to the back of the net for the 2-0 lead. The poor puck luck would continue as Rodrigues & Ekblad both had shots blocked, Mikkola’s wrister went wide, & Verhaeghe’s shot got stopped at the buzzer. Florida dominated the offensive zone time, but it would be New Jersey with the 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.
A 4-on-2 rush early in the 2nd period looked sure to score, but Bennet decided to pass to Tkachuk instead of shooting it himself, so nothing came of the great chance. Erik Haula would score again for the Devils for the 3-0 lead. The hill to the win now looking like a steep climb, Florida’s offense still got plenty of looks from Stenlund, Gadjovic, Forsling, Barkov, and Ekblad. The scoring chances were there, but when hockey is a game of inches, sometimes the puck luck isn’t kind. Credit goes to Daws and the NJ defense, who both blocked and saved shots that normally go in for the Cats. Florida didn’t allow the Devils much in the way of offensive zone time, having dominated the O-zone time for most of the period. Bob had a big save with 4:45 left to play. So far, the match had been penalty-free, so Jersey has been able to limit the dangerous Panthers’ PP units. That would change when Colin Miller headed to the penalty box for slashing with 2:28 left in the period. Tkachuk had choice words for the officials when he felt that the Devils covered the puck off the face-off, and it wasn’t called. Verhaghe got another chance that ended in a blocker save by Daws. The seconds were ticking down, and Tkachuk made a no-look pass between the legs to Reinhart, would beat the buzzer to score and cut the deficit to two, 1-3 Devils lead. He now had Power Play goals in 6 consecutive games.
Headed into the 3rd period, Florida had the offensive zone time advantage 18:14 to the Devils’ 11:33. The heavy pressure would continue to start the 3rd, a period that Florida has been devastatingly good in out-scoring opponents 19-5 during the win streak. Daws continued to be a brick wall in the net for Jersey, making 5-on-5 scoring tough for the Panthers. Rodrigues got taken down off a face-off, and no penalty was called, to the surprise of the Cats players; it was another night of officials letting most things go. A chaotic play in front of the net looked like it’d result in a Florida goal, but Daws once again was able to find the puck and cover. The stout New Jersey defense continued its work, blocking shots left, right, and center. Verhaeghe went to the box for tripping with 11:30 on the clock. Lousterenin had a fantastic chance to score a shorty but couldn’t convert. Barkov got called for a questionable holding call, given all the officials had let go, and the PK went back to work with 8:24 to go. The PK, which is the 5th in the NHL, would kill off the penalty while allowing no shots on goal. More cursed puck luck for the Cats late in the period as Montour hit yet another post, Bennett’s got deflected, and Reinhart’s went wide. Coach Paul Maurice pulled Bobrovsky for the man advantage which led to an absolute offensive onslaught, multiple shots hit the post or got saved in the last 3 minutes of play. Cats players put their bodies on the line to block shots in front of the empty net, Jersey would find the back of the net regardless with 00:18.6 left on the clock, 1-4 NJ the final score. The Devils would be the team to snap the win streak with an impressive defensive performance & goaltending from Daws. Florida can still feel good about its game, though. They played nearly flawless hockey, but the puck luck just wasn’t on their side. The Panthers will square off against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday at 1:00 EST.
