The Florida Panthers lost for the first time this season in regulation, falling to the Minnesota Wild in their 2026-27 home opener by a 4-1 score. The visitors scored before the game was a minute old, and Kirill Kaprizov recorded his seventh career hat trick in the victory. The Cats' lone bright spot was Matthew Tkachuk, who scored his third goal of the year. Here’s a look at tonight’s winners and losers.
Winner: Matthew Tkachuk
At least one Tkachuk brother is scoring, with Matthew collecting his fourth point in five games. He leads the team with three goals, one more than Eetu Luostarinen, whose first-period goal was disallowed after he kicked in an Aaron Ekblad pass. Although 11 Panthers players have points, only six have lit the lamp, which is a growing concern.
Loser: Jacob Markström
In his career, Jacob Markström was 10-3-2 against the Wild, but based on his Saturday night performance, no one would have guessed it. After stellar three outings, the Swede’s first home game for Florida in more than a decade started out as a disaster when he gave up the game’s first goal just 57 seconds in. At the final buzzer, Markström surrendered three goals on 28 shots, finishing the evening with an .893 SV%, his worst performance of the young season.
Winner: Bokondji Imama
Few expected Bokondji Imama to make the Panthers' Opening Night lineup, let alone remain with the team through Saturday; he was one of the few players who brought energy against the Wild. He played barely seven minutes but dropped the gloves in the first period, attempting to ignite his teammates. Overall, Imama had three shots on goal in 13 shifts, with two hits. Although he’ll never be an offensive weapon, his presence on the bench and the ice should help the rest of the Panthers stay engaged.
Loser: Panthers power play
After five games, the Panthers have converted just once in 28 power-play opportunities, a dismal 4.3% success rate. The only team worse is the Buffalo Sabres, who haven’t even scored on the man advantage yet this season. On Saturday against the Wild, the Cats went 0-for-5, extending their current power-play drought to 18 consecutive unsuccessful opportunities dating back to their second game of the season. Something has to change, whether it’s personnel or systems, but Florida will not survive the regular-season grind with an ineffective power play.
Bonus Loser: Brady Tkachuk
What happened to the Brady Tkachuk who roared out of the gate with a goal, an assist, and a fight in his first-ever Panthers game in the preseason? He came to town with a lot of hype, but thus far has no points and is off to the worst start of his NHL career. Although Brady remains a noticeable presence whenever he's on the ice, much of the attention comes from his reputation rather than his offensive production. Eventually, he picked up a penalty with Matthew in the third, but he had one shot on goal in 17:34 and is far from the offensive threat he was brought in to be. Cats fans will need to keep waiting to see if the former 30-goal scorer was worth all the draft picks.
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