Florida Panthers
Like It or Not, Florida Panthers In a Funk Without Aaron Ekblad
Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice said he really liked the way his team played since the start of the New Year, even if sometimes their record did not reflect their play.
Take January, for instance.
The Panthers only went 7-6-1 in the first month of 2025, but Maurice was OK with it.
After all, they spent a good portion of that time playing without top defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
Florida is again without Ekblad, only it is not because of an injury.
The absence of Ekblad certainly appears to again be having an affect on Florida’s usually stellar shutdown defense.
On Sunday, the Panthers gave up their second two-goal, third-period lead in the span of four games on Sunday in a 4-2 loss to the Islanders.
In Boston on Tuesday, Florida led Boston 2-0 in the third — only to lose 3-2.
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Sunday, the Panthers led the Islanders 2-0 before New York took a 3-2 lead by scoring a pair of goals within a span of 17 seconds.
The Panthers have now lost consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 11-13 when Ekblad was out with what is believed to have been a wrist injury.
Coincidence?
Florida was 3-5 without Ekblad the first time; it is 1-3 now.
Ekblad probably would not have made a lot of difference on those quick two goals the Islanders scored.
Both plays came on pucks lost by the Panthers in the neutral zone, with Islanders Maxim Typlakov and Noah Dobson flying in and beating goalie Vitek Vanecek..
“We just got beat to our net, and that doesn’t happen very often to us,’’ Maurice said. “I am not concerned with how we play in the third, you don’t like giving up leads. But it’s not a trend.”
With Dmitry Kulikov leaving the game in the first period with an apparent right wrist/forearm injury, the Panthers played much of the game with five defensemen.
So, they were a little taxed.
Time for concern?
Nah.
But there is no doubt that, aside from Thursday’s win in Toronto, the Panthers just have not looked right since they started this trip Tuesday in Boston.
Perhaps the loss of Ekblad on Monday affected the Panthers in more ways than just their on-ice play.
If that’s the case, they need to figure things out. Ekblad is out until Game 3 of the first round.
The Panthers also are not getting much going offensively, scoring seven goals in the four games.
Florida now has the next couple of days off, the team coming home before taking off for the second leg of this trip on Wednesday.
The Panthers played four games in six days, going 1-3; starting Thursday in Columbus, they will play another three in four.
If this team has shown anything the past couple of years, it is they can get right in a hurry.
It should not take much.
Perhaps some Vitamin D will do the trick.
“We have to be better, especially in third periods when we have the leads,” Sasha Barkov said. “Play better. That’s on us. Stick to our gameplan. I think we’ve been trying to defend the whole period. We need to play our own game the whole 60 minutes, not just 40 minutes. We need to be confident enough to play with the puck.
“We have some good time now to just get home, get some rest before we go back on the road. Forget about this one and move on.”
ON DECK: GAME No. 69
FLORIDA PANTHERS at COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
- When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
- Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus
- Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FtL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SW Fla)
- 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 2-0) — At Florida: Panthers 3, Blue Jackets 0 (March 3). At Columbus: Panthers 4, Blue Jackets 3 (Oct. 15); Thursday.
- Last Season: Panthers Won 3-0
- All-time Regular Season Series: Tied 26-26
- Up Next for the Panthers: Saturday vs. Washington Capitals, 5 p.m.
