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March 31, 2026
Panthers senators

SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers could have officially been eliminated from the playoffs with a regulation loss to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

Yeah, about that.

The Panthers came out on fire, getting a goal from Noah Gregor eight seconds in before scoring five in a dominant first period which led to a lopsided 6-3 win.


Matthew Tkachuk, playing against his younger brother Brady for the first time this season, had the best offensive night of his season with a goal and three assists.

Carter Verhaeghe had two goals and an assist in the onslaught. Seth Jones had three assists in the first period alone.

Florida led 5-0 after the first period, one in which they chased starter Linus Ullmark with five goals on 16 shots.

The Panthers outshot the Senators — who came into the game desperate for a win, just two points out of a playoff spot — by a whopping 18-6.

Florida held a 32-14 advantage in shot attempts.

Ottawa scored twice in the second period, but Tkachuk split the difference by scoring with 7:16 left in the period for a 6-1 lead.

The Senators made it 6-3 early in the third, but despite having a long power play late, failed to score again.

NOTES: SENATORS at PANTHERS

  • Gregor’s goal at :08 topped Johan Garpenlov (Oct. 17, 1996) and Sasha Barkov (April. 5, 2016) for the fastest goal to start a game in franchise history. Garpenlov and Barkov scored 10 seconds into their games.
  • Aaron Ekblad tied Barkov for most games played in Florida Panthers history with No. 804. He was injured after taking a shot off his right hand on a penalty kill late in the third.
  • Dmitry Kulikov left the game in the third period after being struck in the face with a deflected puck.
  • Donovan Sebrango, who was instrumental in Florida killing off a 6-on-3 power play in the end, also left after blocking a shot.
  • Paul Maurice said he had a “line at the X-ray machine’’ but wouldn’t have updates until Wednesday. He said Ekblad “didn’t look good,’’ and Kulikov “looked worse.” Kulikov will have a CT scan.
  • Jones is the first Panthers defenseman with three assists in a game since Ekblad did it on Nov. 1, 2024 in Dallas. Jones also tied Radko Gudas and Bryan McCabe for the most assists in a period by a defenseman in Panthers history.
  • The Panthers scored five times in the first, the most since they got seven in the first against Montreal on March 16, 2023.
  • Tkachuk got his 10th four-point game with the Panthers and became just the second player with that many for the franchise, following Jonathan Huberdeau (15).
  • The Panthers honored veteran linesman Brad Kovachik who worked his final NHL game on the scoreboard during the first period. Players from both teams lined up to shake Kovachik’s hand — with the officiating crew all wearing his No. 71 on their chest.

HOW THEY SCORED

  • Panthers 1, Senators 0 (0:08 1st): Noah Gregor scores the fastest goal to start a Panthers game in history, scoring off a flubbed puck by Jordan Spence right in front of Linus Ullmark.
  • Panthers 2, Senators 0 (1:06 1st PP): Matthew Tkachuk sends a sharp pass to Mackie Samoskevich for his second goal in as many games.
  • Panthers 3, Senators 0 (9:09 1st PP): Carter Verhaeghe gets his first of the night after finding a loose puck off a Tkachuk shot and rifling a shot across the goal-line that ricochets off Ullmark and in.
  • Panthers 4, Senators 0 (14:02 1st): A.J. Greer one-times a pass from Eetu Luostarinen that gets through traffic.
  • Panthers 5, Senators 0 (14:36 1st): The Panthers come in off the rush with Sam Bennett feeding Verhaeghe. That’ll do it for Ullmark.
  • Panthers 5, Senators 1 (1:40 2nd): Drake Batherson gets his 30th of the season putting the Senators on the board.
  • Panthers 6, Senators 1 (12:41 2nd): Tkachuk gets his fourth point of the night, charging in and taking a pass from Bennett to beat James Reimer. 
  • Panthers 6, Senators 2 (15:14 2nd): Spence scores with a shot from the point through traffic.
  • Panthers 6, Senators 3 (4:29 3rd): Michael Amadio scores from the slot off a nice pass from Ridly Greig.

FHN’S 3 STARS

  • 1. Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers
  • 2. Carter Verhaeghe, Panthers
  • 3. Seth Jones, Panthers
ON DECK: GAME No. 75
BOSTON BRUINS at FLORIDA PANTHERS
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