Panthers Party On Predators

     The Florida Panthers rushed by the Nashville Predators 6-2 at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday night. The Cats were coming off a five-game road trip, which included the final two contests held in Finland. The Panthers were starting a five-game homestand in Sunrise. 

     It was the first time that Steven Stamkos faced Florida in a Predators uniform. The last time he saw them on the ice was when his former team the Tampa Bay Lightning were eliminated during Game 5 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Stamkos entered the contest with career marks of 51 goals, 48 assists, 99 points and 22 power-play goals in a combined 82 regular season and postseason games against the Panthers. 

     Florida(10-3-1) blasted out to a 1-0 lead at the 3:33 mark of the first period. Nico Mikkola poked the puck ahead from his own blue line. Aleksander Barkov connected a cross-ice pass in the neutral zone. 

Sam Reinhart caried the puck through the right circle, around the cage and put in a wraparound shot for his 11tth goal of the season. 

     The Cats expanded it to 2-0 at 5:14. Uvis Balinskis sent a square pass and Carter Verhaeghe cleared the zone with a lead pass. Matthew Tkachuk entered the Predators zone and snapped a shot from the right-circle dot which was stopped by Scott Wedgewood. He placed in a wrist shot on the rebound from the right of the crease for his fourth tally of the campaign. 

     The Panthers made it 3-0 just 1:56 into the second period. Anton Lundell pushed the puck from the left wing and Sam Bennett banked a pass from the end wall. Evan Rodrigues skated back from the right goal line and released a snap shot from the low right circle for his fourth goal this year. 

     Nashville(4-9-1), who came into the contest with the worst record in the Western Conference, surrendered a power-play goal and trailed 4-0 with 8:42 remaining in the second. Barkov angled a pass from the right circle and Balinskis shot the puck from the top of the zone. Verhaeghe got to the loose puck and lifted a backhand shot from the right of the crease for his third tally this season. 

     The Predators broke the shutout with 6:08 left in the period.to make it 4-1 Filip Forsberg backhanded a pass from the right wing. Roman Josi passed to his left in the high slot and Stamkos collected his fourth goal with his new team on a one-time slap shot from the low left circle by Sergei Bobrovsky. 

     Florida regained a four-goal margin with 27.4 seconds to go in the frame. Barkov slid a pass from the right circle and Verhaeghe got his second goal of the contest on a forehand shot from the low slot. Tkachuk was credited with a secondary assist on the play. Barkov and Verhaeghe chalked up their third points in the contest.