Florida Panthers Get Offense in Gear Before Vegas Showdown

It never hurts to head into Las Vegas feeling good about yourself, something the Florida Panthers did after a pitstop in San Jose.

The thing about Vegas is, no matter how good you feel coming off the plane, you may not feel so good leaving town.

Regardless.

Saturday night, the Panthers had their biggest offensive output of the season, putting up seven goals on the Sharks in a 7-2 win.

Florida had previously scored seven in Philadelphia back on Dec. 5.

Coming into San Jose, the Panthers had been averaging 2.4 goals in the 11 games since the New Year began.

“I liked our game with about six minutes left in the first on,” Paul Maurice said. “We were a little slow out of the gate, and that happens sometimes when you’re sitting on the road for two days. They had the jump on us, but we were better, harder and faster in the final 46.’’

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Florida, which pulled within a point of Toronto for first in the Atlantic Division, took a 1-0 lead on a cannon shot from Nate Schmidt — only to see the Sharks take a 2-1 lead soon after with a pair of goals within a 32 second span.

After that, however, it was all Panthers.

Florida ended up taking a 3-2 lead into the second off goals from Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad — then scored four in the second to take a commanding lead.

The Panthers now have scored three-plus goals in a single period 17 times this season, including twice on Saturday. They are tied with the Capitals, Lightning, and Jets for the most three-goal periods in the NHL.

When the Panthers turned it on, they were just too good for a Sharks team that continues their rebuild.

Florida has won 12 straight against the Sharks dating to 2017.

“I think at the start, we made a big effort to shoot a lot and get guys to the net,” Tkachuk said. “Try not to pass up good opportunities and feel more confident with the puck. It showed up with the seven on the board, but they were just going in tonight. Sometimes those nights are good.’’

The Panthers welcomed Ekblad back into the lineup after he missed the past seven games and eight of nine overall.

Ekblad played a big role in Florida’s win on Saturday, scoring a goal off a point shot then leaving a no-look pass for Jesper Boqvist on the doorstep.

A.J. Greer was all over the ice, playing a part in Bennett’s goal down low in the front before scoring off the rush in the second.

Some of Florida’s big hitters got in on the action, with Matthew Tkachuk ending with three points and Sasha Barkov getting two assists. Sam Reinhart, as usual, also scored.

“I thought the guys played really well. Bob played amazing,” Ekblad said. “Just a fun game to come back to.”

The Panthers have won the past three games against the Golden Knights since Game 5 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final went the way of Vegas.

After a strong start to the season where the Golden Knights were the betting favorites to win the Cup again, they come into Sunday having lost five of six and seven of nine.

The Panthers may be at a disadvantage playing Vegas on the second night of a back-to-back, but don’t forget, Florida is 5-2 in such situations this season.

And, thanks to the second period Saturday, did not have to go all-out in the third against the Sharks.

ON DECK: GAME No. 51

FLORIDA PANTHERS at VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS 

• When: Sunday, 8 p.m.
• Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (Naples/FTM)
• Streaming: Panthers+; ESPN+
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• This Season (Panthers Lead 1-0) — At Florida: Panthers 4, Golden Knights 3 OT (Oct. 19). At Vegas: Sunday.
• Last Season: Panthers Won 2-0
• All-time Regular Season Series: Panthers Lead 7-6
• Postseason History — 2023 Stanley Cup Final: Vegas d. Florida 4-1
• Up Next for the Florida Panthers: Wednesday vs. Los Angeles Kings, 7 p.m.