After having Halloween weekend off, the Florida Panthers hit the ice in their new Hometown Remix threads, but the South Florida vibes were not enough to overcome a defiant Detroit Red Wings team, who walked away from Amerant Bank Arena with a 5-3 victory. The Cats never held a lead, as their Original Six foes remained one step ahead before extending their advantage to two goals. After Sam Bennett made it 4-3, Detroit sealed the victory with an empty-netter. Florida also got goals from Sam Reinhart and Aaron Ekblad, while Jacob Markström returned from a two-week injury absence, making 24 saves in the loss.
Claw: Panthers' goal-scoring race is heating up
Brady Tkachuk was the first Florida player to reach eight goals, with Carter Verhaeghe joining him shortly afterward. On Monday against Detroit, Reinhart tallied his eighth of the year, and only his second 5-on-5 goal of the season. Considering the Panthers chased the game for the entire night, getting goals from key players is what kept the fight alive. Of course, they were only one shot away from tying the game before Emmitt Finnie fired the puck into the empty net. Despite not having Aleksander Barkov or Brad Marchand, Florida still has a plethora of scorers in the lineup, giving fans plenty to cheer about over the next six months.
Flaw: Jacob Markström is back, and so are his low SV% totals
Since his return to Florida, Markström has missed playing time on two occasions this season, with his most recent injury putting him on the shelf for two weeks. Upon his return on Monday, against the lowest-ranked team in the Atlantic Division, the Swedish netminder once again put his team behind the eight ball and delivered yet another sub .900 SV% defeat. Outside of his Opening Night shutout over Carolina, Markström has only one other game with a SV% over .900, which came back on Oct. 6 against Los Angeles. In seven games, he's compiled a .890 SV%, just marginally better than the man he replaced, Sergei Bobrovsky, who currently has a .885 SV% with Toronto.
Claw: Aaron Ekblad scores first goal as Matthew Tkachuk stays hot
For an entire month, Ekblad has watched Seth Jones rewrite the team’s record book with the most points by a defenseman (18 points) in October. It may have taken 15 games, but the franchise’s all-time leading scorer amongst defenders tallied his first of the year in the second period. On the goal, Garnet Hathaway had an assist, for his first point as a member of the Panthers. Meanwhile, with time ticking down in the third period, Bennett scored his fourth of the year with assists from both Matthew and Brady Tkachuk. That was Matthew’s 17th helper of the year and his team-leading 21st point. Last month, he was held off the scoresheet just three times, and he begins November where he left off before Halloween.
Flaw: Panthers lacked intensity against Detroit
As usual, the Panthers had an advantage in the face-off circle and didn’t shy away from the physicality, with 41 hits, but they were outshot 29-26. Moreover, the Red Wings blocked 17 shots. When Florida couldn't figure out how to beat former teammate Danii Tarasov, they failed to adjust and appeared to throw in the towel before getting a fortunate goal in the final minutes. According to the scoresheet, the Cats had only four third-period shots, which is a disgrace considering the score was only 2-2 after 40 minutes. Two games ago, the Panthers destroyed the Jets, building a commanding 3-0 lead before cruising to a 5-1 victory. Although they won Friday's rematch 5-2, they didn't display quite the same killer instinct, allowing Winnipeg to remain within striking distance. Then, on Monday, Florida delivered a clunker of a performance and lost two valuable points within the Atlantic Division.
What’s next for the Panthers?
The Panthers' stretch of playing against teams that rank lower in their respective divisions continues on Wednesday night when the Chicago Blackhawks visit Florida.
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