And they were armed with paintbrushes, not hockey sticks.

The Panthers — a few hours before their Winter Classic outdoor game at the Miami Marlins’ ballpark against the New York Rangers — unveiled a couple dozen panther sculptures, all painted in a unique way and now being auctioned off with hopes of raising $1 million for cancer research.

Gretzky commissioned a sculpture that displays some of his stats, Johnson arranged one depicting a scene from Augusta National, Bublé’s is adorned in rhinestone braille, the NBA’s Heat commissioned a pair of sculptures with some of the team’s themes, artist Romero Britto painted one as well and Navratilova didn’t technically paint hers — she dipped tennis balls into paint and then served them into the panther, creating a polka-dotted splash of various colors.

“To be able to have the privilege to reach out and make those contacts and have those folks say, ‘Of course,’ what a gift that was,” Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito said. “It’s just so neat.”

About $700,000 has been raised already, Zito said. The idea for the fundraiser — “Panthers on the Prowl,” they call it — is loosely built around Chicago’s “Cows on Parade” art project. Zito and his wife Julie co-chair the Panthers’ project; she is a breast cancer survivor, and Zito has lost a number of relatives to the disease.

“It was my wife Julie’s idea,” Zito said. “And we lived in Chicago during ‘Cows on Parade,’ and then Romero Britto said we should auction them. I can’t take credit for any of it.”

Many of the panthers were on display at LoanDepot Park on Friday, where about 35,000 fans attending the Winter Classic would see them.

“There’s a tear and a smile,” Zito said. “And then you think, you know what, there’s a reason that everybody is engaged. There’s a reason that everybody gave their time and their talent. And it’s because it works and it’s right.”

“Next time,” it read, “let’s go OUTSIDE the box.”

The play on words was clear. A seed was planted. And for the next few years, the NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers kept talking about how they could bring outdoor games to the Sunshine State.

On Friday, the waiting ends. At loanDepot Park, home of baseball’s Miami Marlins, a sold-out crowd is expected to watch the Panthers host the New York Rangers in the first outdoor game to take place in Florida. The retractable roof on the ballpark — which has been shut while air conditioning has been piped in to help ice-builders create a playing surface suitable for hockey — will be opened not long before puck drop.

“I know it’s cliche, but it’s like little kids at Christmas,” Panthers hockey operations president and general manager Bill Zito said, when asked to describe the feeling going into the game. “It’s anticipating this wonderful celebration of our game on all the levels and with our families and with our friends and new fans and our fans.”

The outdoor game will be the first of two in Florida this season; the Lightning get their home game Feb. 1 against the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For each of the last six years — Tampa Bay in 2020, 2021 and 2022, then Florida in 2023, 2024 and 2025 — a Sunshine State team has made its way to the Stanley Cup Final, with the Lightning and Panthers both winning twice in that span.

“We just kept on talking about it,” said Steve Mayer, the NHL’s president for events and content. “And then we got a lot more comfortable with the ice build, the temperatures — we did a lot of research, this just doesn’t happen — and now we’re here. I can’t believe we’re here, but we are.”

How ice happens

By Miami standards, it’s cold these days. The high temperature has been struggling to get out of the 60s Fahrenheit, and lows have gone into the low 40s overnight.

And the NHL couldn’t have timed this cold snap any better.

The league’s equipment arrived at the Marlins’ ballpark in mid-December. Custom refrigeration units were installed, and thousands of gallons of coolant will run through hoses onto the field to chill aluminum trays that were placed under what became the playing surface.

From there, ice — about 25% thicker of a sheet than usual — started being made in what is a long, slow, gradual process. A water-soluble paint was added to whiten the ice, and this week lines and logos were painted onto the surface.

The process in Tampa will be slightly different; with no roof on Raymond James, the league will build a tent to help build the ice, then take the tent down before the Lightning-Bruins game. The rink used for the Panthers-Rangers game will be trucked over to Tampa not long after Friday’s game.

Panthers finally get a game

Florida was one of two teams never to play in an outdoor game. The Utah Mammoth are the other.

Some Panthers players have taken part in outdoor matchups — Brad Marchand is about to play in his fourth — but many are getting to experience it for the first time. And Marchand said the idea of playing in front of 35,000 or so fans in Miami will only continue the growth that hockey is enjoying all over Florida.

“They’re opportunities that don’t come around very often,” said Marchand, who went 3-0-0 in outdoor games with Boston. “They tend to be kind of crazy, a lot of mayhem, but they’re moments that when you look back on your career they’re some of your favorite times. They’re the ones that you always go back and talk about. That’s a great opportunity for everyone. … I just think the environment that we’re going to be in will be very unique and special. It’s not often you get to play outdoors in a climate like this.”

Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky played in his first outdoor game 14 years ago. He’s about to set a record for the longest span between outdoor game appearances. And Panthers coach Paul Maurice will coach an outdoor game for a third time.

He said putting on a good show for fans is important.

“It’s not going to look like anything we normally are doing,” Maurice said. “And for some guys, it’ll be the only one they ever play in. So, you want to make sure you appreciate it.”

No Tkachuk

Matthew Tkachuk is nearing his season debut after having surgery in August to repair a torn adductor and sports hernia — issues that dogged him since February and through last season’s run to Florida’s second straight Stanley Cup title.

He practiced Thursday when the Panthers skated on the Marlins’ field, but Maurice said he won’t play on Friday.

By the numbers

2 — Golf carts will be utilized to carry the goaltenders from the ice to the locker rooms, simply because the distance involved would make it impractical to have them walk.

5-0-0 — The Rangers’ record in outdoor games.

15 — loanDepot Park will become the 15th Major League Baseball stadium to host to an outdoor game.

44 — It’ll be the 44th outdoor game in NHL history, dating to 2003. Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings played an outdoor preseason game in Las Vegas in 1991 against the Rangers; the Kings won, but it’s not part of the official outdoor game records.

65 — It was 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 Celsius) for a 2016 game in Denver pitting the Colorado Avalanche against the Detroit Red Wings. That’s the warmest game-time temperature in NHL outdoor game history (not including that 1991 preseason game in Las Vegas, when the temperature exceeded 90 degrees). Forecasters do not believe Friday’s game will break the 65-degree record.

Suzuki also scored late in regulation to tie the game for the Canadiens, who improved to 6-1-3 in their last 10 games. Cole Caufield also scored for Montreal.

Brad Marchand and Sam Reinhart scored for Florida, but Marchand was called for roughing 1:27 into overtime — giving Montreal a 4-on-3 advantage.

The Panthers paid tribute to Marchand’s 1,000th career point in a pregame ceremony. Marchand got the milestone point in mid-November, but chose this game — against Montreal, one of his longtime rivals when he was with Boston and a team coached by one of his idols, Martin St. Louis — for the formal celebration.

The game was scoreless after two periods, just the 11th such game in the NHL this season and the first for both the Panthers and the Canadiens. And it was the first time a Florida-Montreal matchup saw no goals in the first 40 minutes of action since Feb. 14, 2013 — a contest that ended up as a 1-0 road win for the Canadiens.

But the final 10 minutes were wild.

Marchand opened the scoring at 10:18 and Reinhart connected with 4:59 left to put Florida up 2-0. Back came Montreal, with Caufield scoring 32 seconds after Reinhart’s goal and then Suzuki tying it up with 1:22 remaining.

It was the final game of 2025 for both teams. Montreal’s 21 wins going into New Year’s Day are its most since having 21 wins at this point during the 2018-19 season. And Florida — which has played in each of the last three Stanley Cup Finals, winning the last two titles — played its 106th game of the year, the third straight year in which the Panthers have topped 100 games.

Up next

Canadiens: Visit Carolina on Thursday.

Panthers: Host the New York Rangers in the Winter Classic at Miami on Friday.

Oops. Nearly a full year passed before his second NHL point.

“After the first, I’m like, ‘Oh, this, it’s not too hard,’” Marchand said. “But I had a pretty rude awakening after that. You just see how hard it is every night to play in this league.”

He has never forgotten the lessons that came after that first point, what it was like to go scoreless in 21 consecutive games, how it felt to get sent down from Boston to the team’s minor league affiliate in nearby Providence. And they were still in mind Tuesday night, when the Florida Panthers — who acquired him in a trade last season — paid tribute to Marchand joining the NHL’s 1,000-point club in a pregame ceremony before playing host to the Montreal Canadiens.

Marchand hit the milestone more than a month ago; the Panthers let him and his family choose when they wanted to have the ceremony, and this game was the pick. Flowers were presented to Marchand’s wife and mother, gold mini-sticks were presented to his three children. The NHL sent a Tiffany crystal to present to Marchand, and he got a commemorative gold stick and plaque from Panthers hockey operations president and general manager Bill Zito as well.

Several NHL coaches and players sent video tributes as well, including many of his former Bruins teammates as well as Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby. “Super proud of you,” former Bruins teammate Zdeno Chara said.

Marchand watched the ceremony from a corner of the ice, surrounded by family.

“I have all my family in town,” Marchand said. “These are moments throughout your career that don’t happen often. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate things that I definitely never thought would ever become possible. … It’s a great opportunity for everyone to enjoy a very special thing.”

Getting to 1,000 points is a testament to plenty of things, his longevity included. Marchand had 100 points in a season exactly once; he’s basically been just about a point-a-game guy for the entirety of his 17-year career.

“It’s just such a large milestone to hit,” Marchand said. “Your dream is to play a game in the NHL. I never really thought about what it takes to get to this point. You hope to play and then stay. That’s all you’re really worried about is just trying to stay and hold onto it for as long as you can. Even when I was 10 years in I didn’t think that this was possible.”

Panthers coach Paul Maurice often tells a story of last season’s playoffs, a first-round game at Tampa Bay where Florida was down 5-1 late in Game 3 of that series. Everyone was ready for Game 4, except Marchand, who was shouting encouragement to teammates and trying to get a comeback try started.

No rally happened, but what Marchand did that night still resonates with his coach.

“He’s not 25 anymore,” Maurice said of the 37-year-old Marchand. “What he’s been able to do, the consistency of his game, has been incredibly impressive. I think you’ll find, older players, when they get into the playoffs, can find another level, but October through Christmas, sometimes they may not. The juice is hard to find. But not for him.”

It was fitting that the ceremony came with Montreal in town; the Canadiens were a huge rival for Marchand for all those years he spent with the Boston Bruins, and coach Martin St. Louis — another pesky, diminutive forward who just knew how to put pucks in nets, just like Marchand — is one of the Panthers’ star’s idols.

“It’s always a special team to play,” Marchand said. “And it’s pretty cool to have Marty on the bench, being my favorite player growing up.”

Marchand got the first 976 points of his career with the Bruins. He joined Florida in a trade that shocked many — especially given how the Bruins and Panthers had developed a playoff rivalry in recent years — late last season. The Panthers went on to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup, which was the second Cup of Marchand’s career as well.

And Tuesday was the Panthers’ final game before the calendar flips to 2026. By any measure, 2025 — with the trade, a Cup and a milestone point — was a year for Marchand to remember.

“It was a hell of a year,” Marchand said. “Lot of ups and downs, but if I could categorize it, I’m just very grateful for all of it.”

The Capitals (20-14-5) have lost four of five.

Florida came back from a third-period deficit to pull out the win, getting goals from Brad Marchand, Aaron Ekblad and Reinhart.

The Capitals led 3-2 early in the third on a goal by Dylan Strome, who also had two assists. But Marchand tied the score by batting in his own rebound past goalie Logan Thompson at 6:16 of the third, and Ekblad put Florida ahead for good about seven minutes later.

Reinhart added an empty-netter to seal matters for Florida.

Tom Wilson got both Washington goals in the opening period, giving the Capitals a 1-0 lead at 3:53 and then tying the score at 2-2 with 43 seconds remaining on a power-play chance.

With the two goals, Wilson has four multigoal games this season — and his second multigoal period, the first of which came Nov. 19 against the Edmonton Oilers.

Between Wilson’s goals, the Panthers tied the score on Anton Lundell’s goal at 4:35 of the first, with Reinhart scoring his 20th of the season for a 2-1 lead at 12:45.

Wilson had a three-point night, getting the primary assist on Strome’s third-period goal. Strome assisted on Wilson’s two goals in the first.

After a scoreless second, the scoring picked up again in the third.

The game was Florida’s first since forward Matthew Tkachuk practiced for the first time this season, following offseason surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia. Tkachuk practiced Sunday, but there is no timetable for his return to game action.

Up next

Capitals: Host the New York Rangers on Wednesday.

Panthers: Host Montreal on Tuesday.

The NHL — as part of the celebrations planned for the Winter Classic game between the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers at loanDepot Park, home of baseball’s Miami Marlins — is going to make snow fall at the ballpark.

How it’ll happen, well, the NHL is keeping some of the exact details surrounding the plan quiet. But some fans are going to get at least a few flakes headed their way.

“You may get snowed on,” Steve Mayer, the NHL’s president for events and content, said Monday in what essentially was a message to the more than 30,000 fans who are expected for the game. It’ll be the first time the NHL plays an outdoor game in Florida.

The rink is built, the ice is down — still being worked on, of course — and the ballpark feels about 20 degrees chillier than usual, which is by obvious design. The sets are still being built in some cases, but all will be ready when the teams come in for practices on Thursday.

“This is a show,” Mayer said. “There’s a hockey game that goes on, and that is so important. I mean, this is a big game. Panthers-Rangers, you know, when we’re in April, this could be a game that could determine whether a team makes the playoffs or not. But we also know that people are here for an experience, for something different, and we’re going to give it to them — and we’re going to have some fun along the way.”

Which brings us back to snow.

Officially, it hasn’t snowed in Miami since 1977. There were some unconfirmed reports of a few flakes in the air in South Florida in 2010, and the temperature on Friday means the snow won’t be courtesy of Mother Nature. Forecasters expect the temperature in the area of the retractable roof stadium to be in the upper 50s by game time for Panthers-Rangers.

But inside the stadium, with plans for the roof to be open for the game, it’ll be a scene for all seasons. The NHL — which was getting the logos and lines onto the ice Monday — is planning to have everything from beach chairs to a lifeguard shack and palm trees as part of the backdrop for the game, with some nods to winter as well.

Some entertainers will be in parkas, some in swim wear.

“We’ve designed it so that winter meets summer — or let’s go the opposite way, here in Florida, summer meets winter,” Mayer said. “Fire, ice, hot, cold, all of the thematics that you would think. So, half the field is going to be a Miami beach … and the other side is as if a huge snowstorm has hit Miami. That’s the dynamic that we’re going to have fun with throughout the game.”

How long it’ll take him to go from the practice rink to the game rink remains unclear.

Wearing a yellow non-contact jersey, Tkachuk practiced Sunday for the first time this season and more than four months after he had surgery to repair a sports hernia and torn adductor muscle.

Tkachuk has not played since Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, when the Panthers clinched their second consecutive title by again topping the Edmonton Oilers. He went through the summer trying to rehab — but eventually decided that he needed the surgery knowing it would cost him the first few months of the season.

The wait isn’t over. But it’s close.

“He looks awesome,” Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe said. “Good to see him back out there. He brought us some energy today, that’s for sure.”

Now the waiting game shifts to when Tkachuk will play a game. Florida plays host to Washington on Monday and Montreal on Tuesday, then will be the home team for the NHL Winter Classic at the Miami Marlins’ ballpark against the New York Rangers on Friday.

The Panthers are scheduled to practice at the ballpark on Thursday. Other than morning skates, that will be their next practice. And there’s no guarantee that Tkachuk will play Friday. Florida is not going to rush it just for him to be part of an event.

“There’s a whole bunch of things he’s got to get through. The question is, is there enough time,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “He might be healthy enough or close to enough that he could play, but we’re not guessing on this. … As much as we like the spectacle of it and we’d love for him to be a part of it — it would be great for the game to see him out there — the Florida Panthers need him healthy for the rest of the year.”

After the Panthers won their second straight Stanley Cup in June, Tkachuk revealed that he had sustained the injuries while playing for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. He missed the final 25 games of the regular season but returned for Game 1 of the Panthers’ first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tkachuk had 23 points — eight goals and 15 assists — in 23 playoff games, including seven points in the Stanley Cup Final. He’s expected to address reporters later this week and indicated after the practice Sunday that all went well with the workout.

The Panthers have been without a slew of key players all season, including captain Aleksander Barkov. They entered Sunday tied for the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, only five points out of the lead in the Atlantic Division.

Florida has gone through this season with the expectation that Tkachuk would be back on a “December-ish” timeline. He has said he wants to play in the Winter Classic, the Panthers’ first outdoor game, and for Team USA at the Milan Cortina Olympics in February.

“We will enjoy the talent upgrade,” Maurice said. “He’s a great player. But it’s the personality more. He’s chirping on the ice, right? He’s giving it to guys. They’re laughing. He’s bringing a little joy to everyone. He’s funny on the bench. He has an incredible emotional IQ in terms of the game of hockey. When nothing needs to happen, he doesn’t do anything. When something needs to happen, he figures out the right way.”

Niko Mikkola began the Panthers’ burst with his first goal of the season and Florida ended up with four goals in slightly more six minutes. Anton Lundell also scored, and Seth Jones capped the scoring on the power play. Sam Reinhart had three assists, and Eetu Luostarinen and Aaron Ekblad each provided two.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 17 saves for his sixth consecutive victory as the Panthers, who made their first visit to Raleigh since their series-ending Game 5 victory in the Eastern Conference finals last spring, won for the fifth time in six games.

Eric Robinson and Andrei Svechnikov scored for the Hurricanes, who’ve lost three straight games for the first time this season. Frederik Andersen, playing for the first time after a nine-game layoff, made 17 saves but is winless in his last seven games (0-5-2).

It was Florida’s second comeback against the Hurricanes in less than a week. The Panthers wiped out a three-goal hole in the third period Thursday on the way to a shootout victory at home.

Robinson scored 4:15 into the game. Svechnikov’s goal came as he skated out of the penalty box and caught the Panthers off guard, scoring on a breakaway 1:58 into the second period. He slid the puck between Bobrovsky’s pads.

The Panthers had seven shots on goal through the first two periods and then nearly as many goals in the third on 15 shots.

Up next

Panthers: Begin a five-game homestand Saturday vs. Tampa Bay

Hurricanes: Host Detroit on Saturday.

Jonatan Berggren and Justin Faulk also scored for the Blues, and Joel Hofer made 27 saves. Pavel Buchnevich and Berggren added two assists.

A.J. Greer and Sam Reinhart scored for the Panthers, who had won four straight. Daniil Tarasov stopped 25 shots.

The Blues led 2-0 early in the second period before Greer and Reinhart scored for the tie.

The Blues took a 3-2 lead into the third when Faulk sent a shot past Tarasov with 0.8 seconds remaining in the period.

Neighbours opened the scoring midway through the firat and restored their two-goal lead on his second goal with 5:58 remaining.

Thomas scored with 7:07 left and added an empty-net goal with 3:32 remaining.

Jonatan Berggren gave St. Louis a 2-0 lead 1:55 into the second period when his shot crossed the goal line in Tarasov’s glove.

Florida was still without Matthew Tkachuk, the St. Louis native who has been skating in recent weeks but has yet to make his season debut following offseason surgery to repair an adductor muscle and sports hernia.

The Panthers are hoping he will be able to return in time for the Winter Classic at loanDepot Park — home of baseball’s Miami Marlins — against the New York Rangers on Jan. 2.

Up next

Blues: Visit Tampa Bay on Monday.

Panthers: Visit Carolina on Tuesday.

Brad Marchand also scored for Florida, which trailed 3-0 midway through the third and still was down 3-1 with less than five minutes left.

But with the teams playing 4-on-4, Panthers coach Paul Maurice pulled Sergei Bobrovsky for an extra skater. Bennett scored soon after to make it 3-2, and Reinhart connected with 41.8 seconds left to knot the game at 3-3.

It was Florida’s second three-goal comeback in less than two weeks. The Panthers also rallied from three down to top Columbus 7-6 on Dec. 6.

Sebastian Aho scored two third-period goals for the second consecutive game for the Hurricanes, whose five-game winning streak was snapped. Jordan Staal also scored for Carolina.

Goaltender Brandon Bussi — who was in camp with the Panthers this fall before being claimed by the Hurricanes — had 38 saves and lost for just the second time in 13 starts this season.

Marchand’s goal was his 20th of the season for Florida, making him the third-oldest player to reach that number with the Panthers. Jaromir Jagr did it at 43, Joe Nieuwendyk did it at 39. Marchand, in his first full season with Florida, is 37.

Bobrovsky stopped 26 shots for Florida, which now has won seven of its last eight games.

Staal scored at 11:53 of the first put Carolina up 1-0, and it stayed that way until Aho scored on a breakout early in the third. Aho struck again on the power play with 12:26 left, about a minute after Marchand was called for cross-checking — a play that left the Panthers bench in disbelief.

Marchand scored midway through the third, and the rally was on.

Up next

Hurricanes: Visit Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Panthers: Host St. Louis on Saturday.

Anton Lundell and Carter Verhaeghe also scored for Florida, which has won six of its last seven games. Daniil Tarasov made 27 saves for the Panthers, including a breakaway stop against the Kings’ Trevor Moore with just under five minutes left to preserve a one-goal lead.

Joel Armia and Kevin Fiala had the goals for Los Angeles, which fell to 0-2-2 in its last four contests. The four-game winless streak matches a season-long slide for the Kings, who were 0-2-2 from Oct. 11 through Oct. 18 as well.

Anton Forsberg stopped 25 shots for the Kings. Armia had the only goal in the first period, and Fiala made it 3-2 when a clearing attempt by Florida deflected off his shin and past Tarasov with 15:12 left.

Los Angeles had a chance in the final minutes to tie the game, after Florida’s Anton Lundell was called for high-sticking with 3:05 left. The Kings managed only one shot on the ensuing power play — about half of which was with a two-man advantage after Forsberg was pulled for an extra attacker — and the Panthers held on from there.

Bennett’s goal that gave Florida a 3-1 lead tied for the third-fastest to start any period this season.

Kirill Marchenko scored for Columbus seven seconds into a second period against Minnesota on Oct. 11; Jackson Lacombe scored for Anaheim nine seconds into a second period against Vancouver on Nov. 26; and Connor McDavid scored for Edmonton 10 seconds into a third period against Buffalo on Dec. 9.

Up next

Kings: Visit Tampa Bay on Thursday night.

Panthers: Host Carolina on Friday night.

A panel of NHL executives and alumni spoke to the students, Tuesday.

In honor of the first outdoor regular-season hockey game in the state of Florida, the students were treated to 100 tickets to the game.

The Cats will face off against the New York Rangers in the Winter Classic at loanDepot Park, Jan. 2.

Reinhart recorded his fourth career game with a shorthanded and power play goal in the same game, most in franchise history. Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand and Carter Verhaeghe also scored for Florida, which improved to 5-1-1 in the past seven games.

Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 26 saves.

J.J. Moser and Max Crozier scored for Tampa Bay. Brayden Point finished with a pair of assists. Jonas Johansson, making his seventh consecutive start in place of Andrei Vasilevskiy, made 19 saves.

Reinhart scored shorthanded 2:16 into the first period for Florida’s fourth shorthanded goal of the season. Reinhart passed Scott Mellanby on the play for sixth most points in franchise history.

The Panthers made it 2-0 at 3:48 moments after Yanni Gourde hit the crossbar on an open chance above the crease before Lundell finished off a 3-on-1 rush.

Marchand made it 3-0 at 11:48 of the second period before Reinhart notched a power play goal with 1:52 remaining.

Crozier scored his first career goal with 33 seconds left in the second. Moser cut it to 4-2 deficit 2:11 into the third period. But Verhaeghe scored his eighth goal in his past 10 games at 6:37 to regain a three-goal lead.

The Panthers played most of the third period without defenseman Gustav Forsling, who blocked a shot from Nikita Kucherov off his arm at 3:03 of the third. Forsling went down the tunnel to the locker room and did not return.

Lightning leading goal scorer Brandon Hagel did not play the final 15-plus minutes of the third period after a hit by Florida defenseman Seth Jones.

Up next

Panthers: Host Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday.

Lightning: Host Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.

Anton Lundell had a goal and an assist and Sam Bennett also scored as the Panthers shook off a 6-2 loss at Colorado on Thursday. Sam Reinhart had two assists.

Bobrovsky improved to 21-2-2 against Dallas as the Panthers won their fifth straight over the Stars, including in a shootout at home on Nov. 1.

Marchand gave Florida a 3-0 lead on the power play with 15 seconds left in the second period and added a late empty-netter.

The Stars were held to a season low in shots and were shut out for the first time since losing to Edmonton 3-0 in Game 2 of last season’s Western Conference final. They had a four-game home winning streak snapped. Following a 9-0-2 run, they have lost two straight in regulation for the first time since an 0-3 streak in mid-October.

Jake Oettinger, who went into Saturday leading NHL goaltenders with 14 wins, stopped 18 shots and lost his second consecutive start following six straight wins, dropping to 1-7-1 against the Panthers.

Florida’s power-play goal ended a streak of 35 consecutive Stars penalty kills. The Panthers went in with the league’s worst road power play at 9.3%.

Dallas entered with the NHL’s top power play — both overall (33%) and at home (40%) — but went 0 for 3 and was outshot 3-1.

Lundell’s goal 19 seconds into the second period, tucked in at the post after toe-dragging between two Stars, was his third in five games.

Bennett’s goal in the second went off his right skate and was upheld following a video review.

Up next

Panthers: At Tampa Bay on Monday to finish a four-game trip.

Stars: Host Los Angeles on Monday.

Sam Malinski, Brock Nelson, Gavin Brindley, Artturi Lehkonen and captain Gabriel Landeskog also had goals. The Avalanche saw 13 different players record at least a point.

Colorado (22-2-7) now has a league-leading 51 points this season and became the sixth team over the last 20 years to reach the 50-point mark in 31 games or fewer.

Before the game, the Avalanche honored the 1995-96 Stanley Cup team, which captured the Mile High City’s first major professional sports championship. The Avalanche moved to town from Quebec before that season and swept Florida in the final.

Noah Gregor and Mackie Samoskevich scored for the Panthers. Daniil Tarasov was kept busy by the high-flying Avalanche offense and finished with 36 saves, including a stop of MacKinnon on a penalty shot.

The Panthers looked sluggish — Malinski scored 1:14 into the game — after playing in Utah the night before and beating the Mammoth 4-3. This contest started a tough stretch for the Panthers with 10 straight games against teams that were in the playoffs last season.

MacKinnon’s second-period score was his 392nd career goal and moved him by Joe Sakic (391) for the most in Avalanche history. Sakic has a franchise-most 625 goals over his career for the Nordiques and Avalanche.

Mackenzie Blackwood made 23 saves for Colorado.

Brindley scored and had an assist in his first game since Nov. 20. Brindley, who’s been out with an injury, had his goal set up by the 40-year-old Brent Burns. Brindley wasn’t born when Burns was drafted in 2003.

Up next

Panthers: At Dallas on Saturday.

Avalanche: Host Nashville on Saturday.

Sam Bennett had two goals and an assist, giving him seven points in his last three games for Florida, which was opening a four-game road trip and improved to 3-0-1 in its last four games. Carter Verhaeghe also stayed hot, with a goal and an assist — giving him seven goals and six assists in a seven-game point streak.

Dylan Guenther had two goals for Utah, pushing him to 13 for the season, and Jack McBain also scored. John Marino had two assists for Utah, which has dropped three straight.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 27 shots for the Panthers and Karel Vejmelka made 32 saves for the Mammoth.

Momentum shifted back and forth throughout the night, with Utah scoring the first goal — Guenther at 11:23 of the first — and then the Panthers scoring the next three. Verhaeghe tied it for Florida with 43 seconds left in the opening period, then Bennett scored twice in a span of 104 seconds to push the Panthers’ lead to 3-1 with 16:36 left in the middle period.

Back came the Mammoth. Guenther made it 3-2 just 13 seconds after Bennett’s second goal and McBain scored to knot the game at 3-3 with 5:23 left in the second.

It stayed that way until Lundell got the game-winner, with Sam Reinhart and Eetu Luostarinen getting the assists.

Up next

Panthers: At Colorado on Thursday night.

Mammoth: Host Seattle on Friday night.

Saturday’s visits were part of AutoNation’s DRV PNK, the company’s year-round commitment to drive out cancer.

Panthers forward A.J. Greer said he has one goal.

“To be able to have a platform as a professional athlete, and have a platform as an organization like the Florida Panthers, [enables me] to come out here and support these children and give them a few gifts,” he said. “Like I said, just spend some time with them, change their thoughts, make them feel special, make them feel recognized and make them feel like they have friends that they don’t know about and that are happy for them. And so, that’s the biggest thing for us, is really just to come in here and make them feel special.”

During the visit, both the Panthers players and AutoNation representatives handed out “Totes for Hope” bags filled with plush toys, coloring books and blankets to each patient.

Stamkos’ goal came with the net appearing to be off its moorings, but it held up after a brief review and gave the Predators their fourth win in five games. It was his 53rd goal all-time against Florida, including playoffs, the most by any player against the Panthers.

Carter Verhaeghe scored two days after the birth of his son and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 27 shots for the Panthers, but the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions lost their fourth game in a row and their fifth straight at home.

Verhaeghe missed Tuesday’s loss to Toronto because his wife was giving birth to their new son Rory, but returned in time for morning skate on Thursday and then the game.

Ryan O’Reilly scored with 6:19 left in the third period to tie the game for Nashville, and Stamkos scored on a rush to win it in the extra period.

Jusse Saros stopped 30 shots for Nashville.

Verhaeghe was asked earlier Thursday if becoming a father compared at all with the feeling of being part of three Stanley Cup championships — one with Tampa Bay, and the last two with Florida over the last two seasons.

“Not even close,” Verhaeghe said. “This one, it’s the best feeling in the world. It doesn’t even come close to any anything. It’s the greatest thing in the world.”

Bobrovsky got some help in the second period. Stamkos actually beat Bobrovsky with a shot from the circle to the right of the Panthers’ net, but defenseman Niko Mikkola got his stick near the goal line and was able to knock the puck away.

Up next

Predators: Visit Carolina on Saturday.

Panthers: Host Columbus on Saturday.

Bobby McMann had two assists for the Leafs, who have won three of their last four, and John Tavares added an empty-netter with 18.6 seconds left.

Sam Reinhart got his 14th of the season, a short-handed score in the second period for Florida. But Laughton scored with 7:42 left to restore the two-goal edge for the Leafs.

Florida has lost four of its last five, and four straight at home.

It was the first Florida-Toronto game since the second round of last season’s playoffs, a series where the Maple Leafs took the first two games and held leads of 2-0 and 3-1 in Game 3 — before losing that game on a goal by Brad Marchand in overtime. Florida would roll to wins in Games 5 and 7 in Toronto, both by 6-1 scores, and went on to capture its second consecutive Stanley Cup.

But this Florida roster looked a whole lot different than the one last spring did.

The Panthers were again without their long-term injured players — Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Dmitry Kulikov, Eetu Luostarinen and Tomas Nosek among them — plus were without forward Carter Verhaeghe, who missed the game because he and his wife were expecting a baby.

It meant Florida added Jack Studnicka to its fourth line. Studnicka was making his Panthers debut and playing an NHL game for the first time since April 2024.

Up next

Maple Leafs: Visit Carolina on Thursday, the end of a six-game road trip.

Panthers: Host Nashville on Thursday, the fourth game of a six-game homestand.

Yan Kuznetsov got his first NHL goal and Morgan Frost got the goal that put Calgary ahead for good, as the Flames won for the fourth time in five games. Farabee sealed it with an empty-netter with 1:03 left.

Devin Cooley gave up goals on the first two shots he saw, then stopped the next 30 for Calgary.

Evan Rodrigues and Sam Bennett scored in the first 2:58 for Florida, which wasted a 2-0 lead — on home ice, no less — for the second consecutive game, after falling 4-2 to Philadelphia on Wednesday. Brad Marchand scored midway through the third, his 15th of the season for Florida.

Before Wednesday, the Panthers were 9-0-0 this season in games when they led by two or more goals at any point and 9-1-0 when scoring first. Rodrigues scored in the opening minute, Bennett made it 2-0 two minutes later and the Panthers — who have now lost three of their last four games overall and four of their last six at home — seemed to be rolling.

Cooley changed all that in a hurry.

He made 17 saves before the first period was over, and the goals from Kuznetsov and Weegar — second-line defensemen — tied it at 2 going into the second. Calgary had a 5-on-3 power play that extended into the second period and that provided Frost the chance to put the Flames up 3-2 early in that middle frame by sweeping a rebound past Florida’s Daniil Tarasov.

Up next

Flames: Visit Carolina on Sunday.

Panthers: Host Toronto on Tuesday.

Foerster’s shot from just inside the blue line ricocheted off the leg of Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad and went right back toward the Philadelphia forward. With Ekblad out of the play and writhing in pain, Foerster shot again and beat Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky for a 3-2 lead.

Sean Couturier scored on a tip-in about 20 seconds later for the final margin. Dan Vladar stopped 25 shots for the Flyers.

Brad Marchand and Carter Verhaeghe scored early for Florida, which jumped out to a 2-0 lead with Sam Bennett assisting on both goals. Emil Andrae had a goal — just the second of his career — and added an assist for Philadelphia, while Matvei Michkov also scored and Jamie Drysdale added two assists.

Bobrovsky gave up four goals on 17 shots.

The Panthers were again without a slew of players, including Aleksander Barkov and Eetu Luostarinen — but made some promising news public earlier Wednesday when forward Matthew Tkachuk, who has yet to play this season following summertime surgery, revealed that he has started skating. There’s no timetable for his return to play, but he’s obviously progressing.

“He’s back on the ice and he wasn’t two weeks ago,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “So, we’re taking it.”

It was the third and final matchup between the teams this season, after they split the first two meetings. Philadelphia has also finished its season series with Nashville and St. Louis; Florida has completed its games for the season with Anaheim and Vegas.

Up next

Flyers: Visit the New York Islanders on Friday afternoon.

Panthers: Host Calgary on Friday afternoon.

Tkachuk had surgery in August after spending much of the second half of last season — including Florida’s run to a second consecutive Stanley Cup — dealing with a sports hernia and torn adductor muscle.

He delivered the update on the “Wingmen” podcast that he co-hosts with his brother, Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators.

“He’s still quite a way away, but he’s back on the ice and he wasn’t two weeks ago,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “So, we’re taking it.”

The Panthers have been operating under the premise that Tkachuk is on a “December-ish” timetable to return, which still sounds logical. Whenever Tkachuk gets back, he figures to provide a huge boost to an injury-decimated lineup, one that has been missing captain Aleksander Barkov after he tore his ACL in his first training camp practice.

Tkachuk spent the first few weeks of the summer rehabbing with hopes of trying to avoid surgery but eventually had the procedure immediately after his wedding and honeymoon in France. He skated twice last week — “the first time I’ve put on my skates, like legit, since Game 6” of the Stanley Cup Final, he said — and then checked in with doctors to come up with the next phase of a plan.

“I’m just excited to get out with the boys,” Tkachuk said. “I don’t know when that’s going to be, but it’s obviously kind of getting over that hump and sooner rather than later. It’s starting to trend really, really well.”

There are a slew of benchmarks Tkachuk has to hit along the way, Maurice said.

Tkachuk missed the final 25 games of the regular season last spring but was able to play through both injuries for the Panthers when they won their second consecutive Stanley Cup. It also would seem like Tkachuk is on pace to be with USA Hockey in February at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Tkachuk had 23 points — eight goals and 15 assists — in 23 playoff games, including seven points in the Stanley Cup Final against Edmonton. The Panthers beat the Oilers in six games.

“I’ve just got to get the jets on and start feeling good and I think I’ll be hopefully picking up where I left off, if not hopefully better,” Tkachuk said. “That’s the ideal plan.”

Gustav Forsling, Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist and Sam Bennett also scored and Daniil Tarasov made 36 saves for Florida, winners of three of their last four games.

Filip Forsberg, Fedor Svechkov and Nick Blankenburg scored and Juuse Saros and Justus Annunen combined to make 17 saves for Nashville, losers of eight of nine and in last place overall in the NHL.

Florida scored a season-high eight goals for the second time in a week.

Reinhart extended his point-scoring streak to seven games. He has six goals and seven assists over that stretch.

Greer scored the game’s first goal just 11 seconds after the opening faceoff.

In Saturday night’s loss to the Colorado Avalanche, the Predators surrendered the first goal just 15 seconds into the first period, also on the game’s first shot.

Rodrigues made it 2-0 at 5:42 of the first, finding a rebound on the left side.

After being shut out in two consecutive games, Forsberg snapped a 126:52 Predator stretch without a goal when he redirected Luke Evangelista’s shot past Tarasov.

Svechkov scored his first of the season at 10:32 of the first, briefly tying the game before Boqvist gave Florida a 3-2 lead 59 seconds later.

Bennett made it 4-2 with 4:16 left in the first when an attempted clear by Svechkov hit his skate and past a surprised Saros.

Forsling’s goal at 1:24 of the second ended the night for Saros, who stopped 11 of the 16 shots he faced.

Blankenburg’s power-play goal at 2:11 of the third drew Nashville to within two, but Greer restored the three-goal lead at 4:52.

Annunen made six saves.

Up next

Panthers host the Philadelphia Flyers Wednesday night.

Predators visit the Detroit Red Wings Wednesday night.

The Cats hosted a Thanksgiving food distribution on Sunday at Amerant Bank Arena to provide holiday meals to over 500 families across Broward County.

John Colombo, Florida Panthers’ VP of Community Relations, said this event makes a difference in people’s lives.

“I think it’s great for us to be able to partner with organizations that are community-minded that are really trying to make a difference here in South Florida, so being out here and being able to support what’s going on and especially during the holidays when people are really feeling it the most, you know, being able to provide resources and make their holidays a little brighter,” he said.

This distribution was held in partnership with Feeding South Florida, Impact Group Project and Believer City Church.

Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary have become reading royalty.

Fifty-one classrooms and nearly 600 students from the school participated in the challenge.

Families read books for 15 minutes every day for a month, as part of the challenge.

“Reading together as a family is critically important in building the foundation of lifelong learning,” said Dr. Lori Canning of Broward County Public Schools. “When families come together to read, they travel through the pages of books, they meet different types of people through the pages of books, and build that strong foundation.”

Educators and the Panthers team believe that this effort will make a difference in the long run.

It was Florida’s first 1-0 regulation win in the regular season since Dec. 23, 2017, against Ottawa. The Panthers had a 1-0 overtime win at Columbus last season.

Bobrovsky has 51 shutouts, tied for 28th in NHL history. The Devils were blanked for the first time this season, wasting a 23-save effort from Jake Allen.

Reinhart collected the puck around the blue line, got around New Jersey’s Luke Hughes before beating Allen over the shoulder. It was Reinhart’s 11th goal of the season, and Bobrovsky made it stand up — staving off a flurry in the final minute to seal the win.

It marked the second time this season New Jersey failed to get a standings point in back-to-back games. The Devils lost at Tampa Bay on Tuesday; they also had consecutive regulation losses in Colorado and San Jose on Oct. 28 and 30.

The Panthers celebrated defenseman Jeff Petry’s 1,000th game — a milestone reached earlier this week — in a pregame ceremony.

Petry’s four children wore the sweaters of his four previous teams, Edmonton, Montreal, Pittsburgh and Detroit, and the family was presented with a number of gifts from both the Panthers and the NHL. Every player on the Panthers warmed up for the game wearing a sweater bearing Petry’s No. 2 on the back instead of their own; those will be auctioned for charity.

The game was the NHL debut for Panthers rookie Jack Devine, a two-time national champion at Denver who was called up with Florida now missing seven would-be regulars in the lineup because of injuries.

Up next

Devils: At Philadelphia on Saturday night.

Panthers: Host Edmonton on Saturday night in a rematch of the last two Stanley Cup Finals.

And coach Paul Maurice, when looking at the big picture, is seeing all of this as a way for the champs to get even better.

Forward Eetu Luostarinen will be listed as week to week, Maurice said Wednesday, with what he described as “a barbequing mishap.” But the already-shorthanded Panthers don’t seem to have a concrete timeline in mind for Luostarinen’s return.

“We don’t have a lot of experience with this,” Maurice said. “When he comes back and feels comfortable with the equipment on him, away we go.”

And forward Cole Schwindt, who the Panthers claimed off waivers last month to help with their injury problems, is now on the injury list himself. Schwindt will need surgery in the coming days to repair a broken arm and the Panthers expect that he’ll miss 2-3 months.

Luostarinen and Schwindt become the latest entries on an injury log for the Panthers that already included long-term issues for captain Aleksander Barkov (preseason ACL tear), Dmitry Kulikov (upper body), Jonah Gadjovich (upper body), Tomas Nosek (knee) and Matthew Tkachuk (groin). Barkov, Kulikov, Gadjovich and Nosek all still have months to go in their recoveries; Tkachuk may start skating by the end of this month and could make his season debut sometime in December.

It is not at all what the Panthers expected to start the season. But that’s where Maurice sees opportunity; the roster depletions have forced Florida to change its playing style somewhat, and he thinks that could wind up providing valuable lessons.

“There’s an awful lot of good if you can capture, if you can learn some new things, things that you have to learn to survive,” Maurice said. “And that’s really in some ways what we’re doing, is trying to survive. When you get to seven guys out of your lineup, you’ve got a problem. We can survive that and then learn through the adversity of it eventually.

“We’re going to have, slightly after the trade deadline, the biggest movement in the league,” he added. “We’re going to get some players back. We can be a better team than we were going into the playoffs last year, if we can learn how to do this. It’s just going to be hard. It’s going to be uncomfortable right now. And we’ve got to be good with that.”

The Panthers expect that rookie forward Jack Devine, part of two NCAA title teams at Denver and twice a Hobey Baker Award finalist before turning pro last year, will make his NHL debut on Thursday in a home game against New Jersey.

The Discover NHL Winter Classic uniforms will mark the historic matchup. The outdoor match will be the southernmost matchup in League history and will mark the 17th NHL Winter Classic.

The uniform pays homage to Florida’s hockey history and local military ties. The jersey features a vintage take on the original “leaping panther” crest with felt and chain stitching to evoke hockey’s traditional craftsmanship.

The garment also features decorative stitching with chevrons that is inspired in part by South Florida’s military heritage. The jersey’s rear hem features the silhouette of the Panthers’ rat in honor of the team’s longstanding tradition of throwing rats onto the ice after home victories.

The jerseys and additional NHL Winter Classic merchandise will be available at FlaTeamShop.com starting Thursday, Nov. 20 at 10 a.m.

Tickets to the historic Panthers vs. Rangers January game are still available.

Seth Jones had two goals, and Luke Kunin, Evan Rodrigues, Anton Lundell, A.J. Greer and Brad Marchand also scored for the two-time defending champion Panthers, who had a season-high scoring total for their third win in four games. Sam Reinhart had three assists and Carter Verhaeghe two. Sergei Bobrovsky had 10 saves.

Elias Pettersson had two goals, and Drew O’Connor and Jake DeBrusk also scored for Vancouver, which has lost four of five (1-2-2). Quinn Hughes had three assists and Kiefer Sherwood and Evander Kane each added two, and Jiri Patera finished with 33 saves.

Bennett deflected a slap shot by Niko Mikkola to put the Panthers ahead 6-5 early in the third.

Jones then got his second of the night at 8:19, beating Patera from in front on a power play for a two-goal lead, and Marchand’s short-handed empty-netter with 1:46 remaining capped the scoring.

Pettersson scored at 7:55 of the second and again at 1:24 of the third to pull the Canucks within one. Hronek’s power-play goal at 3:14 tied the score 5-5.

Trailing by two late in the first period, the Panthers scored five consecutive goals to take the lead.

Just 36 seconds after DeBrusk put the Canucks ahead 2-0, Greer finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play with Bennett and Verhaeghe to get Florida on the scoreboard with 4:10 remaining in the opening period.

Jones beat Patera from the right circle on a rush with just under 8 seconds remaining in the first to tie the score.

Kunin, Rodrigues and Lundell scored in a 4:54 stretch of the second period to give the Panthers a 5-2 lead.

Kunin scored into an open net on a rebound at 2:23 to put Florida ahead, Rodrigues made it 4-2 from in front off a no-look, backward pass from behind the net by Reinhart at 6:10, and Lundell made it a three-goal lead with a tally from the right circle at 7:17.

Up next

Canucks: Host Dallas on Thursday night.

Panthers: Host New Jersey on Thursday night.

Emil Lilleberg and Zemgus Girgensons also scored for the Lightning. They improved to 8-2-0 in their last 10 games and 5-2-2 on the road.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 23 shots for Tampa Bay.

Brad Marchand scored his team-leading 12th goal of the season for Florida, a power-play tally midway through the second period that tied it at 1.

But Finley picked up a loose puck near the blue line and skated in alone on goalie Sergei Bobrovsky for what became the go-ahead goal 4:09 into the third. Girgensons sealed it with an empty-netter with 50.3 seconds remaining.

WILD 2, DUCKS 0

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota backup Jesper Wallstedt made 28 saves for his second straight shutout and Wild beat Anaheim.

Wallstedt extended his shutout streak to 141:09 after beating Calgary 2-0 on Sunday night.

The 23-year-old Swede’s biggest save Saturday came when he robbed Frank Valtrano alone in front late in the second period. He’s the backup to Filip Gustavsson, the fellow Swede who signed a five-year, $34 million extension Oct. 4.

Marcus Johansson scored in the second period and Matt Boldy added an empty-netter.

BRUINS 3, CANADIENS 2

MONTREAL (AP) — Jeremy Swayman stopped 26 shots for his fifth consecutive victory and Boston overcame the loss of defenseman Charlie McAvoy to a mouth injury to beat Montreal Canadiens in a heated game.

The Bruins improved to 12-8-0, winning for the eighth time in nine games.

McAvoy was hit in the mouth by a slap shot midway through the second period.

With the Canadiens on a power play, Noah Dobson’s one-timer appeared to deflect off Boston forward Mark Kastelic before hitting McAvoy. McAvoy immediately covered his face and dropped to the ice, while a team doctor rushed to help.

The American then hurried to the dressing room after bleeding on the ice. Teammate Nikita Zadorov was seen trying to retrieve lost teeth.

Zadorov and Montreal’s Jayden Struble fought off the opening faceoff as the Bell Centre erupted. Four minutes later, Canadiens bruiser Arber Xhekaj dropped the gloves with Bruins forward Tanner Jeannot.

Viktor Arvidsson, Marat Khusnutdinov and Mason Lohrei scored for Boston. David Pastrnak added two assists to become the third player in Bruins history to have an 11-game points streak against the Canadiens, joining Bobby Orr and Herb Cain.

KINGS 1, SENATORS 0

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Anton Forsberg made 17 saves in his Ottawa return for his first shutout of the season, Alex Laferriere scored in the first period and Los Angeles beat the Senators.

Forsberg was playing his first game against Ottawa after spending parts of five seasons with the Senators. The Kings have opened a four-game trip with four victories to improve to 10-5-4. They extended their road points streak to 10.

Laferriere scored on a tip at 9:19 of the first period.

Linus Ullmark stopped 17 shots for Ottawa. The Senators dropped to 9-6-4. They went 2-1-1 on homestand and now hit the road for seven games.

SABRES 5, RED WINGS 4, OT

DETROIT (AP) — Mattias Samuelsson scored at 1:05 of overtime as Buffalo rallied from a three-goal deficit to snap a five-game losing streak with a 5-4 win over Detroit on Saturday night.

Tage Thompson had a goal and set up Samuelsson’s winner. Josh Doan also had a goal and an assist as the Sabres got their first road win this season. Buffalo had gone 0-5-2 in road games as the only team not to have a road victory

Ryan McLeod scored the tying goal on a short-handed breakaway. Alex Tuch also scored while Colten Ellis made 24 saves.

DEVILS 3, CAPITALS 2, SO

WASHINGTON (AP) — Luke Hughes had a goal and assist and Simon Nemec had the shootout winner New Jersey beat Washington.

Arseny Gritsyuk also scored for the Devils, who have won four of the last five games in overtime or the shootout and remain atop the Metropolitan Division.

Alex Ovechkin had his 902nd career goal and added an assist, and Connor McMichael also added a goal and an assist for the Capitals, who have lost eight of their last 10 and remain at the bottom of the division standings.

OILERS 4, HURRICANES 3, OT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Leon Draisaitl scored 19 seconds into overtime to give Edmonton a win against Carolina.

Connor McDavid scored twice, Jack Roslovic added a goal and Draisaitl had two assists for the Oilers. Stuart Skinner stopped 33 shots in Edmonton’s third win in four games.

Eric Robinson, Nikolaj Ehlers and Jordan Staal scored for the Hurricanes, who lost for only the second time in seven games. Frederik Andersen made 19 saves.

RANGERS 1, BLUE JACKETS 1, SO

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck scored in the shootout to give New York their NHL-leading ninth road win, over Columbus.

Mika Zibanejad scored in regulation for New York, which has won three straight overall and six in a row on the road. Igor Shesterkin stopped 24 shots as the Rangers beat Columbus at Nationwide Arena for the third consecutive time dating to last season.

Dmitri Voronkov scored for Columbus, which had won three straight at home. Jet Greaves made 31 saves in coach Dean Evason’s 100th game behind the Blue Jackets bench.

BLACKHAWKS 3, MAPLE LEAFS 2

CHICAGO (AP) — Colton Dach scored the tiebreaking goal late in the third period, and Chicago beat Toronto.

Ryan Greene and Teuvo Terevainen also scored for Chicago, which won for the fourth time in five games and extended its point streak to 4-0-1. Spencer Knight had 31 saves.

Nicholas Robertson and Morgan Reilly scored for Toronto in its fifth straight loss (0-4-1). Joseph Woll finished with 29 saves.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4, BLUES 1

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Braeden Bowman scored his first NHL goal and got his first assist, and Vegas snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over St. Louis.

Brandon Saad, Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl also scored for Vegas while Akira Schmid stopped 22 shots.

Philip Broberg scored for the Blues at 15:57 of the third period. Blues goalie Joel Hofer recorded 29 saves.

STARS 5, FLYERS 1

DALLAS (AP) — Jason Robertson’s natural hat trick gave him consecutive multigoal games, and Dallas beat Philadelphia for their fifth victory in a row.

Robertson scored twice in the second period and on a third-period power play, giving him three straight three-point games. It was his sixth career hat trick, with one coming in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Tyler Seguin had a goal and an assist and Lian Bichsel also scored for Dallas, which won 7-0 at Montreal on Thursday. Jake Oettinger made 20 saves.

Roope Hintz assisted on all three of Robertson’s goals.

KRAKEN 4, SHARKS 1

SEATTLE (AP) — Philipp Grubauer stopped all 19 shots he faced in relief of injured Matt Murray, and Seattle got two goals from Jaden Schwartz to help beat San Jose.

Adam Larsson and Eeli Tolvanen scored 38 seconds apart late in the second period to give the Kraken a 3-1 lead. Jamie Oleksiak and Chandler Stephenson each had two assists for Seattle, which lost 6-1 to the Sharks in the same building 10 days earlier — its worst defeat of the season.

Alexander Wennberg scored for the Sharks, and Alex Nedeljkovic made 19 saves. San Jose has dropped two straight after winning four in a row.

JETS 4, FLAMES 3, SO

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Gabriel Vilardi scored the lone goal in a shootout to give Winnipeg a victory over Calgary.

Connor Hellebuyck made 31 saves in regulation and overtime, then faced three shooters in the tiebreaker without allowing a goal before Vilardi ended it. Hellebuyck tied Harry Lumley for 30th on the NHL victory list with 330.

Mark Scheifele, Tanner Pearson and Cole Perfetti scored in regulation to help Winnipeg improve to 11-7-0. Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey each had two assists.

The Jets finished 2-4-0 on a six-game trip and swept the three-game season series with the Flames.

Jake Bean, Kevin Bahl and Matt Coronato scored for Calgary, and Dustin Wolf made 20 saves. At 5-12-3, the Flames are last overall in the NHL.

The journeyman forward has faced the Panthers three times, twice at home when he played for Ottawa, once at home when he played for San Jose. His stats from those three games: zero goals, zero assists, zero penalty minutes, one shot on goal and the Panthers went 3-0-0 in those contests by a combined score of 17-5.

Which begs the question: Why will most Panthers fans know his name when Tampa Bay comes across the state to Sunrise on Saturday?

Oct. 4 would be why.

That was the preseason game that shall not be forgotten in this Lightning-Panthers rivalry, a game that degenerated into something so ridiculous that someone wound up getting an assist after being ejected — the refs were so busy ejecting people that night that nobody actually told Florida’s Niko Mikkola he’d been dismissed from the contest, so a goal he contributed to had to be taken off the scoreboard many minutes later.

“Obviously, we all saw what was there,” Panthers defenseman Jeff Petry said.

All the absurdity that night started when Sabourin, who was called up from the AHL for the game, got onto the ice for his first and only shift and jumped Florida’s Aaron Ekblad in what was perceived to be retaliatory for something that happened in another preseason game that week.

The totals from that night: 65 penalties, 13 game misconducts, 312 penalty minutes, six games worth of suspensions being issued (four to Sabourin, two to Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser) and $176,302.10 in fines and forfeited salary for the Lightning alone — including a $100,000 fine to the organization and a $25,000 fine to coach Jon Cooper.

On Saturday, for the first time this regular season, here they go again. And for his part, Ekblad offered nothing Friday to fuel the rivalry.

“Division game, a lot of pace, physicality, all the things you’d expect from a divisional game,” Ekblad said. “So, we’re excited to play.”

It just so happens that Sabourin was called up by the Lightning this week. He’s expected back in Sunrise on Saturday. Maybe it’s just a schedule coincidence. Maybe it’s not.

“I show up every night ready to compete, and I might have gotten a little ahead of myself that time,” Sabourin told the Tampa Bay Times for a story this week. “I might have kind of overshot the runway.

“I just wanted to get in hard on the forecheck, to be honest,” Sabourin added, explaining his version of what happened on the play with Ekblad. “And then, you know, one thing led to another. But day in and day out, you know, I want to compete. I want to be hard to play against, and I want other teams to know that I’m on the ice, right? So, again, that might not have been the best way to go about it, but at the end of the day, the other team will know I’m out there.”

Cooper said this week that Sabourin — who scored a goal, his first at the NHL level in nearly six years, in Tampa Bay’s 7-3 loss to the New York Rangers on Wednesday in his official debut with the team (preseason games don’t actually count) — left an impression in training camp. He didn’t say if Oct. 4 was part of that impression, but the Lightning are dealing with injuries and needed forwards so the move isn’t totally surprising.

“You come into camp, you work hard, you don’t make the team, but you make an impact with the coaching staff and the organization, the players,” Cooper said. “You go back and look at the guys that gave you everything in camp.”

It is a rivalry, for obvious reasons. The Lightning went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, 2021 and 2022, winning two titles in that span. The Panthers went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2023, 2024 and 2025, winning two titles in that span. The road to the title, in the Eastern Conference, now goes through Florida. The Lightning, for years, had absolute bragging rights when it came to Sunshine State hockey. That is no longer the case.

The Lightning beat the Panthers in the playoffs in 2021 and 2022. The Panthers ousted the Lightning in each of the last two years. The bad blood has probably never been this bad. And while past games — the ones that have counted — have been physical, no Panthers-Lightning game has ever come close to the 300-penalty-minute fightfest that the preseason saw last month.

“If you get into playoffs with a team and if you do it in two consecutive years, that third year, there’s a lot that they don’t forget, neither team forgets,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “So, that energy comes to the rink, and you know what could happen, and then they drop the puck and it’s usually something completely different. But it’ll be good. It’ll be fun.”

___

Eetu Luoustarinen, Seth Jones, Cole Schwindt and Evan Rodrigues also scored for the Panthers, who began a run of 11 of 12 games at home.

Marchand assisted on Jones’ goal that put Florida ahead 5-3 late in the third period and Luostarinen’s empty-netter with 1:30 remaining.

Marchand has 335 goals and 565 assists in 1,116 regular-season games. Jones and Rodrigiues each scored their 100th NHL goals.

Panthers backup goalie Daniil Tarasov stopped 37 shots for his first victory with the club.

Rasmus Sandin, Justin Sourdif and Brandon Duhaine scored for the Capitals. They were 1-3 on a four-game trip.

Goals from Reinhart and Schwindt in the second period put the Panthers ahead 3-1. Schwidnt’s goal 3:05 into the period snapped a 1-all tie.

Reinhart padded the lead with his power play goal with 5:19 left in ther period. Logan Thompson stopped Carter Verhaeghe’s shot but Reinhart tapped in the deflection.

After the Capitals narrowed the deficit on Justin Sourdif’s goal 52 seconds into the third period, the Panthers responded with goals by Reinhart and Jones.

The Panthers were again with a slew of injured players, including Aleksander Barkov, Dmitry Kulikov and Jonah Gadjovich. But coach Paul Maurice indicated that Matthew Tkachuk — who has yet to play this season following offseason surgery — might be inching toward a return in the coming weeks.

Up next

Capitals: Host New Jersey on Saturday night.

Panthers: Host Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Marchand has scored six goals in five games, inching closer to his personal-best seven-game goal streak in 2016. He also had an assist and now stands at 998 points for his career.

Jesper Boqvist and Sam Reinhart scored the other Panthers goals, and Donovan Sebrango had two assists. Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves.

Tomas Hertl and Ivan Barbashev scored the Golden Knights goals. Barbashev has four goals and two assists in four games.

Rookie Carl Lindbom, making just his fourth start, stopped 17 shots. He hasn’t been eased into the lineup, having also faced Tampa Bay twice and Colorado once, a major reason Lindbom is 0-3-1 with a 3.25 goals-against average and a .869 save percentage.

But the Golden Knights’ offense failed to back up Lindbom despite having more than its share of opportunities. Vegas had eight high-danger chances compared to five for Florida, according to Natural Stat Trick. Mitch Marner faked out Bobrovsky in one of those chances in the first period, but skied the puck.

The Golden Knights have felt like anything but at home during this six-game stretch at T-Mobile Arena. They dropped to 1-3-1 on the homestand.

The Panthers head back to South Florida having gone 2-2 on their western road trip.

This was a meeting of the most recent Stanley Cup champions. The Golden Knights beat Florida in 2023, and Panthers then went back-to-back for their titles.

Up next

Panthers: Host Washington on Thursday.

Golden Knights: Host the New York Islanders on Thursday.

Anton Lundell got a short-handed goal in the third period and Sam Bennett also scored for the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Panthers, who rebounded from a 7-3 loss in Anaheim to get their first victory on their four-game West Coast road trip.

Marchand has scored a goal in three straight games since returning to the Panthers from a one-game absence to travel to Nova Scotia to support a close friend who lost his daughter to cancer last month. The veteran tied the game late in the first period after taking the puck from Anton Forsberg behind Los Angeles’ net, and he added his ninth goal of the season in the third.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves.

Anze Kopitar got the first goal of his 20th NHL season and Corey Perry also scored for the Kings, who have lost three of four.

Forsberg stopped 19 shots for the Kings, who have started 1-4-2 at their downtown arena after being the NHL’s best home team last season.

Bennett put the Panthers ahead just 2:06 in, controlling and converting the rebound of Jeff Petry’s long shot.

Kopitar scored on the power play midway through the first, and Perry put the Kings ahead on a breakaway set up by a spectacular long pass from Mikey Anderson.

Reinhardt put the Panthers back ahead in the second, getting to the slot and firing a backhand for his seventh goal.

Lundell scored on a short-handed breakaway in the third after a turnover by Adrian Kempe.

Several members of the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers were the Kings’ guests at the game, getting multiple loud ovations.

Up next

Panthers: At San Jose on Saturday.

Kings: At Pittsburgh on Sunday to open a six-game road trip.

Nikita Nesterenko scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period before Jacob Trouba, Chris Kreider and Jansen Harkins added third-period goals for the upstart Ducks, who surged back into first place in the Pacific Division.

Lukas Dostal made 18 saves as the Ducks improved to 4-1-0 at home and beat the defending champs for the second time in eight days.

Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues and Eetu Luostarinen scored for the two-time Stanley Cup winners, who opened their four-game West Coast trip with a rough defensive performance. Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves as Florida dropped to 1-5-0 on the road.

The 21-year-old Gauthier moved into a tie for the overall NHL lead with 10 goals after the biggest night of his young career.

The sharpshooting left wing scored on his first three shots, getting his eighth and ninth goals in the first period before sending a shower of hats onto the Honda Center ice with a power-play blast late in the second. Gauthier added an assist on Trouba’s third goal in six games to secure his first career four-point night.

Leo Carlsson had two assists for Anaheim before getting a game misconduct early in the third period for contact with Rodrigues’ head.

Carlsson fed Gauthier for a breakaway goal three minutes after the opening faceoff, extending both rising young stars’ scoring streaks to seven games. They’re the youngest teammates to mount simultaneous scoring streaks that long since Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl did it nine years ago.

Marchand scored his seventh goal before Gauthier buried a one-timer off a cross-ice pass from Troy Terry.

After Rodrigues evened it and Luostarinen put the Panthers, Gauther and Nesterenko reclaimed the lead for Anaheim with goals 1:43 apart.

The defending champions fell apart defensively midway through the third period, allowing three goals in a 3:04 span. Kreider has seven goals in his first eight games with his new team.

Up next

Panthers: At Los Angeles on Thursday night.

Ducks: At Dallas on Thursday night.

Marchand got a tribute score, Sam Reinhart got a milestone one and Sam Bennett also scored for the Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 20 shots, six of them in overtime — and five in the final 61 seconds of the extra period.

Marchand scored in his first game back after returning to his native Nova Scotia to pay tribute to a friend’s 10-year-old daughter who lost her battle with cancer, and Reinhart got the 300th goal of his career.

Mikko Rantanen scored with 2:42 left in regulation to tie the game for Dallas, which got three assists from Sam Steel — who had two points all season entering Saturday, then had the first three-assist game of his career.

Justin Kyrckowian got his first NHL goal and Wyatt Johnston also scored for Dallas, both of those tallies coming 14 seconds apart during what was to be a 4-minute power play in the second period.

It was the first time the teams met since playing twice in Finland last season; Saturday was the one-year anniversary of the first of those games, and the second matchup there was a year ago Sunday.

Dallas hadn’t played at Sunrise since Dec. 6, 2023. Among some of the developments since Dallas’ last visit to Florida:

— The Panthers won two Stanley Cups.

— The Stars changed coaches from Peter DeBoer to Glen Gulutzan.

— The Arizona Coyotes visited the Panthers. The Coyotes ceased operations in 2024 and last played at Florida on Jan. 24, 2024, seven weeks before Dallas’ most recent appearance before Saturday.

And of the 40 players who were part of the most recent Dallas-Florida game in Sunrise, only 18 took the ice on Saturday.

Up next

Stars: Host Edmonton on Tuesday.

Panthers: Visit Anaheim on Tuesday.

The Stanley Cup champion met with children, signed autographs and posed for photos during the visit on Thursday afternoon, which was organized by AutoNation as part of its DRV PNK initiative to support cancer research and treatment.

Among the patients Greer met was 18-year-old Takobe, who is undergoing treatment for a rare and aggressive tumor.

Thanks to AutoNation and the Panthers, Takobe and his family will attend an upcoming Panthers game as VIP guests — complete with luxury seats, a Zamboni ride and a post-game meet-and-greet with players.

“No one deserves to go through what some of these kids are going through,” Greer said. “It’s heartbreaking, but to be able to have a platform as a professional athlete and to have a platform like the organization of the Florida Panthers, and to be able to come out here and support these children and give them a few gifts, and like I said, just spend some time with them, change their thoughts.”

Through DRV PNK, AutoNation has raised and donated more than $45 million to advance life-saving cancer research, treatment and survivorship initiatives.

“At AutoNation, our Associates are united by a shared commitment to create a future free from cancer,” said AutoNation Vice President of Corporate Communication Lisa Ryans. “We’re proud to partner with the Florida Panthers and A.J. Greer to bring hope and comfort to children and families at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. Moments like this show the personal impact of our companywide commitment to drive out cancer.”

Marchand is serving as a guest coach Wednesday night for the under-18 March and Mill Co. Hunters in his hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia, in place of friend JP MacCallum. Marchand is a co-owner of the team.

The game is a fundraiser for the family after the loss of 10-year-old Selah Panacci-MacCallum and includes a raffle for an autographed Marchand jersey.

“Please join us in celebrating an amazing night at the rink made possible by the ongoing giving nature of a 10 year-old girl that loved the game with all her (heart),” Marchand posted on Instagram.

Marchand missed Florida’s game Tuesday night against Anaheim. Coach Paul Maurice expects Marchand to be available when the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions face Dallas on Saturday.

Leo Carlsson had a goal and an assist, and Cutter Gauthier also scored to help the Ducks end a five-game trip with a victory in coach Joel Quenneville’s first game against his former team.

Quenneville, who coached the Panthers from 2019-21, returned to Sunrise for the first time since resigning as Florida’s coach after details of a sexual-assault scandal involving his 2010 Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks squad were revealed in October 2021.

Quenneville was banned from the NHL for nearly three years for his handling of the situation before taking over the Ducks in May. He won three titles in 10 years with the Blackhawks and last coached for Florida on Oct. 27, 2021.

Carlsson buried a short-handed goal midway through the second period to extend his point streak to four games. He assisted on Gauthier’s power-play goal a couple of minutes later to give Carlsson a team-leading 11 points this season.

Lukas Dostal stopped 31 shots for the Ducks.

Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart scored for the Panthers. Reinhart had the tying goal — his fifth of the season — with three about minutes left in regulation after the Panthers had trailed 2-0 midway through the third.

Daniil Tarasov made 15 saves.

The Panthers, whose depth has already been tested this season because of a rash of injuries, were without forwards Jonah Gadjovich (upper body) and Brad Marchand (personal reasons).

Up next

Ducks: Host the Detroit Red Wings on Friday.

Panthers: Host the Dallas Stars on Saturday.

Crosby now has five goals in a four-game goal-scoring streak, his longest since a four-game stretch late in the 2021-22 season. Ben Kindel, Rickard Rakell and Connor Dewar also had goals for the Penguins, who improved to 6-2-0 and are off to their best start since 2019-20.

Brad Marchand had two goals and Sam Reinhart also scored for Florida, which got two-assist nights from Seth Jones and Mackie Samoskevich.

It was the first time that Crosby and Marchand both had two or more goals in the same game. Crosby is now two points away from joining Detroit’s Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman, along with fellow Penguins legend Mario Lemieux, as the only players with at least 1,700 career points for one franchise.

Both of Crosby’s goals were on the power play. It was his first two power-play goal game since Oct. 13, 2023 and the 12th such regular-season game of his career; the Penguins are 12-0-0 in those contests.

Tristan Jarry made 34 saves for Pittsburgh. Sergei Bobrovsky gave up five goals on just 16 shots in the Florida net.

The game marked just the second time that the Jones brothers — Pittsburgh’s Caleb and Florida’s Seth — went head-to-head in a regular-season game. Caleb Jones is now 2-0-0 in those games; he was with Colorado for a 5-0 win over Chicago, when Seth Jones played there, in 2024.

Florida outshot Pittsburgh 31-9 in the final 40 minutes — but the Penguins outscored the Panthers 4-3 in that span.

Up next
Penguins: Host Columbus on Saturday.

Panthers: Host Vegas on Saturday.

Boston rallied to tie it after trailing 2-0 lead in the third period, then Marchand skated through the neutral zone and flipped the puck ahead to Eetu Luostarinen as he burst ahead of the last defender and beat Jeremy Swayman to make it 3-2 with 10 minutes to play.

With the Boston net empty, Morgan Geekie made it 3-3 with 1:31 left. But Verhaeghe broke the tie with 27 seconds to play.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots for the defending Stanley Cup champions, who snapped a four-game losing streak.

Swayman made 19 saves for Boston, which lost its fifth straight game after starting Marco Sturm’s coaching tenure with three wins in a row.

Marchand received a standing ovation when he was the last player to leave the ice after the pregame warmups, and then another when the TD Garden scoreboard played a highlight video from his time in Boston.

The four-time All-Star and the last remaining member of Boston’s 2011 Stanley Cup championship team, who was dealt to Florida at the trade deadline last season, broke down as he waved to the crowd and tapped his heart.

Marchand, who went on to help the Panthers win their second straight Stanley Cup title, drew a tripping penalty 33 seconds into the game and was swiping at the puck in the crease on the ensuing power play along with Mackie Samoskevich, who was credited with the goal.

A.J. Greer made it 2-0 in the second period. Pavel Zacha and Elias Lindholm also scored for Boston.

Up next

Florida hosts Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

Boston hosts Anaheim on Thursday night.

Owen Power also scored for Buffalo, which earned its second straight win since losing its first three games of the season. It was Lyon’s first shutout since Oct. 22, 2024, for Detroit against the New York Islanders.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots for Florida in its fourth consecutive loss since the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions began the season with three straight wins. Defenseman Niko Mikkola departed in the second period with an upper-body injury.

Doan was credited with his first goal of the season when Tage Thompson’s shot from the circle glanced off Doan’s leg and past Bobrovsky 7:13 into the first period.

Jason Zucker set up Doan in front at 11:12 of the second, and Power added his first of the year at 14:20.

Doan was acquired in a June trade with Utah for JJ Peterka.

Mikkola got hurt on a tie-up with Sabres forward Tyson Kozak. Florida is without forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov because of injuries.

Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson was sidelined by an injury in the first.

Up next

Panthers: Head to Boston to conclude a five-game road trip Tuesday.

Sabres: Face the Canadiens in Montreal on Monday.

Meier beat Florida netminder Daniil Tarasov with his team-best third goal of the season at 6:23, snapping a 1-all tie before Hischier added his second of the season at 11:47.

Jack Hughes also scored for New Jersey, which won its third straight game after a season-opening loss at Carolina.

Florida’s Evan Rodrigues opened the scoring 1:59 into the game, tapping a loose puck past Allen for his second goal of the season.

Hughes knotted the contest with his first at 5:48 of the second, with assists to Meier and Jesper Bratt. The assist was the 300th of Bratt’s career. Hughes was limited to 62 games last season during which he scored 27 goals for the second straight year.

Allen won for the first time this season. The Devils were coming off Monday’s 3-2 win at Columbus, when starting netminder Jacob Markstrom was injured. Markstrom will miss a few weeks with a lower-body injury.

Tarasov, who joined the Panthers in a late June trade from Columbus, was seeking his first win with Florida.

The 26-year-old Tarasov made a number of sharp saves, denying Hughes three times in the closing minutes of the second. He also denied Lucas Glendening on a breakaway early in the second. Tarasov made 30 saves overall.

The Panthers failed on five power-play chances as they lost their third straight on the road after starting the season with three straight home wins.

The Panthers are missing key players, including captain Aleksander Barkov, who is out seven-to-nine months with a knee injury. Matthew Tkachuk is also out and will miss at least two months with a torn adductor muscle. Florida is also missing forward Tomas Nosek and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov.

Up next

Devils: Host Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.

Panthers: Visit Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.

The injury-hit Panthers opened a four-game trip. They began the season with home victories over Chicago, Philadelphia and Ottawa.

Detroit has won three in a row. The Red Wings opened with a home loss to Montreal, then swept a home-and-hone series with Toronto.

Appleton opened the scoring at 2:09 of the second on a snap shot. Patrick Kane added a power-play goal at 9:36, firing a shot from right side to the near top corner. Appleton put it away into an empty net with 1:58 left, and Michael Rasmussen also had an empty-netter.

Brad Marchand scored on a wraparound for Florida with 5:55 left in the second. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 21 shots.

Before the game, Panthers coach Paul Maurice said defenseman Dmitry Kulikov had surgery and is expected to be sidelined about five months because of an upper-body injury,

Florida also is missing stars forwards Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. Barkov will be out at least seven months because of a knee injury. Tkachuk could return in December from a torn adductor muscle.

Kulikov was hurt Oct. 9 in a 2-1 home victory over Philadelphia. Uvis Balinskis took Kulikov’s spot in the lineup against Detroit. The Panthers recalled defenseman Tobias Bjornfot from Charlotte of the American Hockey League on Sunday.

Up next

Panthers: At New Jersey on Thursday night.

Red Wings: Host Tampa Bay on Friday night.

Bobby Brink and Christian Dvorak added late empty-netters for the Flyers.

The Flyers captain, Couturier became the longest-tenured athlete in Philadelphia sports once Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham retired at the end of last season.

The Flyers lost their first two games of the season on the road but got a needed lift on a throwback night at home. Tyson Forrester scored in the first period and Couturier followed with his first of the season in the second for a 2-0 lead.

Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett rallied the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers with goals but they lost for the first time in four games.

Tocchet easily received the loudest cheers from fans during pregame introductions ahead of the home opener. The Flyers hired the former fan favorite as coach in hopes his return would push them out of an extended rebuild and into playoff contention. Tocchet, who played more than a decade with Philadelphia in separate stints at the start and end of his career, is at the start of his fourth head-coaching job after time with Tampa Bay, Arizona and Vancouver.

Tocchet took over months after the Flyers fired John Tortorella with nine games left in another losing season for a franchise that hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2020.

Philadelphia, once a model franchise in the league, has one of the longest championship droughts in the NHL.

The Flyers have failed to win the Stanley Cup since going back to back in 1974 and ’75. Those Broad Street Bullies teams have become a cherished part of the franchise’s past but also a reminder of how much time it has been since the Flyers won: They last played in the final in 2010.

The Flyers opened with a somber nod to those Bullies teams with a tribute for the late Hall of Fame goalie Bernie Parent. Parent, who died in September at 80, won Conn Smythe and Vezina trophies in back-to-back seasons for the Stanley Cup champions. The Flyers painted his retired uniform number “1” behind each net and chose to bypass a moment of silence for fans to instead “show the same passion he lived for with a standing ovation.” They will wear a “1” jersey patch this season.

Up next

Panthers: Play Sunday at Winnipeg.

Flyers: Host Winnipeg on Thursday.

Gadjovich has six goals and three assists in 84 games over parts of three seasons with the Panthers He also had two goals — one of them against Toronto in a Game 7 win — and an assist in last season’s Stanley Cup playoffs.

“Jonah has become an integral part of our locker room and a strong contributor for our group on the ice,” general manager Bill Zito said. “He possesses a fearless attitude and unrelenting competitiveness, and we are excited for Jonah to continue with us in South Florida.”

The extension was announced on Gadjovich’s 27th birthday.

Through three games this season, Gadjovich has one assist and a team-high-tying 11 hits for the Panthers.

He has 19 points in 163 career games with Florida, San Jose and Vancouver. During his time with the Panthers, Gadjovich is averaging a team-best 19.7 hits per 60 minutes.

He was a second-round pick by Vancouver, going No. 55 overall, in the 2017 NHL draft.

Gadjovich, who could have become an unrestricted free agent after this season, is the 11th forward the Panthers have under contract for next season already — joining Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Brad Marchand, Anton Lundell, Evan Rodrigues, Eetu Luostarinen and Jesper Boqvist. It’s possible that a 12th forward — Mackie Samoskevich, who could become a restricted free agent — gets a new deal later this season as well.

Mackie Samoskevich, Sam Reinhart and Evan Rodrigues also scored for the Panthers, who got two assists from Seth Jones. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 26 shots for Florida, which has trailed for a total of 63 seconds in its first three games.

Florida — which scored three power-play goals and has five with the man advantage already this season — is 3-0-0 for the third time in its 32-season history, joining 2020-21 and 2021-22.

Shane Pinto scored both goals for Ottawa, which is now 0-6-1 in its last seven games at Florida. Linus Ullmark stopped 21 shots for the Senators.

It was Ottawa forward Nick Cousins’ first game back in Sunrise since the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, when the Panthers won their first championship. Cousins — who didn’t play at Florida when Ottawa visited last season — was with the Panthers for two seasons.

He was welcomed back with a tribute video.

“Any guy that has 16 nicknames is well liked. He hears it,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “He was part of that ‘have fun, play hard’ thing we were trying to build.”

Bobrovsky was the starter for the 26th consecutive Florida game going back to last season’s playoff, tying his longest run with the Panthers. If he starts Monday, he would tie the Panthers’ record for consecutive goalie starts; Ed Belfour made 27 straight in 2007.

The Panthers played without defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, who was hurt Thursday and has gone on injured reserve. It’s not clear how long he’ll be sidelined.

Up next

Senators: Host Nashville on Monday in their home opener.

Panthers: Visit Philadelphia on Monday to start a five-game road trip.

Marchand fired a wrist shot from the left boards past goalie Dan Vladar and into the top right corner to help the Panthers win their second straight at home to open the season. Marchand missed a chance to pad the lead with 6 1/2 minutes left, sending a wrister over the crossbar on a breakaway.

Tocchet rejoined the Flyers during the offseason. The former Philadelphia player won Stanley Cups as an assistant in Pittsburgh and was a head coach in Tampa Bay, Arizona and, most recently, Vancouver.

Anton Lundell also scored for injury-depleted Florida, and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 19 shots. Florida captain Aleksander Barkov is expected to miss the entire regular season because of two torn knee ligaments, and Matthew Tkachuk is probably out until December at least while he recovers from a groin injury.

Noah Cates scored for Philadelphia. Vladar made 32 saves.

Lundell opened the scoring on a power play at 5:29 of the second period, beating Vladar with a wrist shot off a break. Cates tied it with 2:12 left in the period, chipping a loose puck over Bobrovsky.

Florida opened Tuesday night with a 3-2 victory over Chicago.

Up next

Flyers: At Carolina on Saturday night.

Panthers: Host Ottawa on Saturday night.

Mackie Samoskevich — getting his second assist, the fifth two-point game of his career — chipped the puck toward the goal and Boqvist knocked it out of the air for the lead with 10:20 left. A.J. Greer and Carter Verhaeghe also had goals for Florida, which got 17 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky.

Frank Nazar had a goal and an assist and Teuvo Teravainen also scored for Chicago. Former Panthers goalie Spencer Knight made 34 saves for the Blackhawks.

For the Panthers, it was the sort of grind-it-out win that might be necessary with star forwards Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk out with injuries.

“That’s what the year is,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “It’s the building of that identity and the finding of it.”

It was the official debut for new Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill, who coached Detroit for seven seasons — 2015-16 through 2021-22 — and was hired by Chicago in May. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2015 and haven’t made it past the first round of the playoffs since.

“This is what we love to do, and life goes by fast,” Blashill said. “Let’s make sure we’re enjoying it.”

Chicago scored first midway through the opening period on a breakaway from Nazar, but the Panthers — who outshot the Blackhawks 17-3 in the first 20 minutes — went into the first intermission up 2-1 after goals three minutes apart from Greer and Verhaeghe.

Teravainen scored early in the second to tie the game at 2-2, and it stayed that way until Boqvist delivered.

Up next

Blackhawks: Visit Boston on Thursday.

Panthers: Host Philadelphia on Thursday.

Such things happen during championship celebrations. No worries, they’ll be fixed soon.

And the Panthers are hoping for the chance to put a few more dings in the trophy next year.

A new season for the now back-to-back Stanley Cup champions started Tuesday, with the Panthers all gazing toward the top of Amerant Bank Arena to watch another championship banner hoisted to the rafters. It’s basically the same as last year’s — white background, red lettering — with the only change being the year, 2025 instead of 2024.

“This is a new year and it’s a new opportunity for us,” Panthers forward Brad Marchand said. “And when it starts, it’s time to turn the page and start working toward a chance to hopefully do it again.”

The banner swayed over the end of the ice the Panthers defended twice Tuesday in their 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. By the next home game Thursday, it’ll take its more-permanent place over the team bench alongside the team’s other banners for division and conference titles.

“You kind of look back at what you achieved but at the same time you’re proud of the achievement,” Panthers forward Anton Lundell said. “But it gives you more hunger to do it again.”

Fans lined up for one more picture with the Cup outside the doors of the arena Tuesday afternoon, many of them arriving long before the unusual 5 p.m. weekday start time — one that was used to accommodate being part of a nationally televised triple-header. Once they came inside, the new scoreboard over center ice displayed a replay of some moments from the third period of Game 6 of last season’s Stanley Cup Final, just in case anyone forgot how that season ended.

And after all the warm-ups were complete, just as they did in June 2024 and June 2025 — the Panthers finished off the Cup championship runs by beating the Edmonton Oilers on home ice in each of the last two title matchups — the fans roared when the trophy was brought onto the rink. Assistant captain Aaron Ekblad did the honors this year, carrying the trophy onto the ice, then hoisting it before placing it onto a stand next to the spot where the banner was being unfurled and raised.

“Incredible, coming out in front of our fans and being able to hoist it one more time,” Ekblad said.

Once the banner was raised, the players raised their sticks in a salute to the fans.

“We want three! We want three! We want three!” the fans chanted back.

Said Marchand: “It’s great to see their expectations are there. We obviously have the same ones, but this is going to be harder than the last two. … It’s a long road ahead.”

Opening night capped a two-day celebration for the champs; the Panthers’ players and coaches got their championship rings in a private ceremony Monday night.

“Last night was a little bit of a nice reminder for them what the payoff for all that hard work is,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “And it kind of lifts everybody’s spirits and gets them excited about tonight.”

It won’t be an easy road for the Panthers this season. Captain Aleksander Barkov is going to miss several months and potentially the entire season with two torn ligaments in his knee, an injury suffered 20 minutes into his first practice of training camp. And forward Matthew Tkachuk is out until likely December while recovering from offseason surgery. Barkov and Tkachuk, dressed in street clothes, watched the hoisting from the Florida bench.

The Panthers know how rare this opportunity is. They could be the first back-to-back-to-back NHL champion since the New York Islanders won four consecutive Cups from 1980 through 1983.

“The great thing about sports is you don’t know, and there’s a reason we play the games, and it’s about the stories that can be generated,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “And this is going to be an interesting story. Two of the biggest stars on the team are injured. How well they come back, how resilient the team is without them, that’s going to be a great story to see unfold. This is an organization, a team, that’s been well put together. (General manager) Bill Zito deserves an enormous amount of credit. My guess is this team is going to give it all to make it happen again if they can.”